Manila Standard - 2017 September 29 - Friday

Frat library a crime scene—police

By Rey E. Requejo

KNOCKING AT THE DOOR. Some 11 days after Horacio Castillo III died due to a fraternity hazing, the Manila Police District,

armed with a search warrant, has gained access to the scene where the hazing rites took place between Sept. 16 and Sept. 17.

Scene of the Crime Operation operatives from the MPD entered the Aegis Juris Law Resources Center shortly before noon Thursday to gather evidence from the fraternity library in Manila. Norman Cruz

JUSTICE Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II on Thursday said the family of hazing death victim University of Santo Tomas law freshman Horacio Castillo III would meet President Rodrigo Duterte next week.

“They asked me to help them get an audience with PRRD, which was granted.

They will see the President on Wednesday,” Aguirre said.

This came after Castillo’s family met with Aguirre a day after the Department of Justice prosecutors ordered the release of Aegis Juris Fraternity member John Paul Solano, one of the suspects criminally charged for Castillo’s death.

In related developments:

• On Thursday, Solano was released from detention by the Manila Police District.

This came after the Department of Justice issued Wednesday afternoon a resolution ordering the release of Solano over invalid arrest and inquest proceedings by the police.

However, the MPD homicide division headed by Sr. Insp. Rommel Anicete did not immediately implement the release order because it did not include the charge for obstruction of justice in the list of criminal charges against the suspect.

• Some 11 days after Castillo III died due to a fraternity hazing, the Manila Police District has gained access to the scene where the hazing rites took place.

Scene of the Crime Op-

eration operatives from the Manila Police District entered the Aegis Juris Law Resources Center shortly before noon to gather evidence from the fraternity library in Manila.

The MPD had earlier failed to immediately enter the premises because it did not have yet a court-issued search warrant.

Police considered the frat library the crime scene based on CCTV footage from nearby establishments taken between Sept. 16 and the early hours of Sept. 17, the time Castillo was thought to have died.

The frat library itself has its own CCTV cameras.

However, police have yet to gain access to its contents.

Horacio II and his wife Next page

Maute men told: Give up, you’ll live

VOL. XXXI • NO. 227 • 3 SECTIONS 16 PAGES • P18 • FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2017 • www.manilastandard.net • editorial@manilastandard.net

DEFENSE Secretary Delfin Lorenzana on Thursday assured the Maute members planning to surrender that they would not be killed if they did.

“Of course, we will not kill people who are surrendering. Our soldiers are not murderers,” Lorenzana told reporters in Subic.

He said Lanao del Sur Rep. Mauyag Papandayan, chairman of the House com-

mittee on Muslim affairs, told him during the Marawi briefing that there were Maute members who wanted to surrender but asked that they not be killed.

“They said they wanted to surrender. I said no problem,” Lorenzana said, adding they will receive anybody who wants to surrender and they will let the court decide on their fate.

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Probe Ombudsman—Rody For allegedly favoring opposition lawmakers

By John Paolo Bencito and F. Pearl A. Gajunera

P

RESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday threatened to set up a commission to investigate the Office of the Ombudsman for alleged partiality and corruption after the independent body said it has launched a probe into his bank transactions in joint accounts with his children that came to billions of pesos.

“You have to be investigated also. One of these days, I’m coming after you because of your partiality,” Duterte said, addressing the Office of the Ombudsman in Filipino on state-run PTV-4 “If you don’t investigate yourselves, I will set up a commission to investigate you, as a President with investigating powers.”

Duterte had earlier ex-

pressed his disappointment in the Office of the Ombudsman for seemingly favoring lawmakers allied with the opposition Liberal Party, after learning that none of them are being investigated for the misuse of funds through the Disbursement Acceleration Program, which was struck down as illegal by the Supreme Next page Court.

Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales

President Rodrigo Duterte

Deputy Ombudsman Arthur Carandang

Sereno wants to confront impeachment witnesses

By Maricel V. Cruz THE camp of Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno on Thursday asked the House of Representatives’ committee on justice to allow her

legal team to cross-examine witnesses who would be presented against her during the impeachment trial.

In a three-page letter filed with the House justice committee, chaired by Oriental

Mindoro Rep. Reynaldo Umali, Sereno’s lawyers Anzen Dy and Josalee Deinla asserted the Chief Justice’s constitutional right to confront witnesses against her.

The same right, they said,

is also provided under the House’s rules of impeachment.

Dy said cross examination “is a very important tool in finding the truth.”

Next page

Grab, Uber told: Open up packages

Go ahead, Pimentel dares Trillanes on ouster threat

TRANSPORT network vehicle services must open packages sent through their drivers to prevent being used as drug couriers, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency said Thursday.

“To Grab and Uber operators and drivers, please exercise due diligence to prevent your line of work from being tainted with involvement with illegal drug activities,” PDEA director general Aaron Aquino said.

The PDEA chief, together with the Land Transportation Franchising and

OPPOSITION Senator Antonio Trillanes IV yesterday warned Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III that he will work hard to oust him if he does not get rid of Senator Richard Gordon as chairman of the Senate Blue Ribbon committee.

Pimentel later shrugged off the threat and said

Next page

By Macon RamosAraneta

Gabay Guro marks 10th year with grandest event yet. Gabay Guro’s grand gathering for teachers dubbed ‘Gabay Guro at 10’ drew over 20,000 teachers from public and private schools nationwide last Sunday at the Mall of Asia Arena. On its 10th anniversary, Gabay Guro brought the grandest entertainment yet from the country’s top celebrities and biggest giveaways such as gadgets, vehicles, livelihood packages and two house and lots. In photo are (from left): Celebrity hosts Marky Stroem, Pops Fernandez; Derek Ramsey; PLDT Gabay Guro Chairperson Chaye Cabal-Revilla; BellaVita AVP for Sales and Marketing Jeanette Saturnino; John Estrada; house-and-lot winner May Asuncion Dimaano of Rosauro Almario Elementary School, Miss Universe 2015 Pia Wurtzbach; Regine Velasquez; BellaVita Marketing Manager Ricky Adeva; PLDT-Smart Foundation president Esther Santos; SGV Head of Transaction Advisory Services Ramon Dizon; and Andrew Wolff.

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‘No country to blame for Triad’

By John Paolo Bencito

Trillanes can go ahead.

At Thursday’s “Kapihan sa Senado,” Trillanes told reporters he will move to replace Pimentel as Senate president if Gordon remains chairman of the Senate Blue Ribbon committee.

“I see him as passive. His leadership is very passive,” Trillanes said of Pimentel, noting that he tolerated Gordon’s moves in the committee

PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte was not blaming a particular country when he said the drug syndicates in Hong Kong and Taiwan were turning the country into their client state, Malacañang said Thursday.

But Presidential Spokesman Ernesto Abella insisted that organized crime groups were behind the proliferation of drugs in the country, and that Duterte had “credible international sources.”

While Duterte mentioned the Taiwan-based

Next page

Next page

Sabotage raps vs Faeldon, NFA chief et al

By Rio N. Araja

nomic sabotage and grave budsman. misconduct against former Administrator Jason SENATOR Panfilo Lacson Bureau of Customs com- Aquino of the National Food on Thursday filed charges missioner Nicanor Faeldon Authority, former Customs of graft, smuggling or eco- before the Office of the OmNext page

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DICT chief was asked to resign PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte has admitted to personally asking his classmate, former Information and Communications Technology Secretary Rodolfo Salalima, to resign after apparently favoring the interests of telecommunications giant Globe Telecom over the entry of new players to break the monopoly in the telecoms industry. industry’s market duopoly.

He said in a television interview that Salalima was “lying” after claiming that he resigned due to the corruption in his agency.

“I want to open the market so that the rates will be much lower,” Duterte told state-run PTV-4.

“I’m not saying that he’s protecting someone, but the giant communications companies in China, Singapore― he’s not doing any action,” Duterte said.

He said the industry complaints prompted him to ask his former classmate at the San Beda College of Law to instead resign.

“I whispered to him, Rudy, just resign,” Duterte said.

In fairness to him, but I’m not saying … but it seems to him he was favoring a company… the other players cannot enter the industry, which I said could bring the rates much lower.”

Duterte likewise said that when Salalima openly praised Globe Telecom in a speech attended by industry players, that turned him off.

Duterte added that Salalima never mentioned to him any whiff of corruption in his agency.

John Paolo Bencito

Maute...

From A1 “People who surrender, we will take them in. The court will take care of their cases, but they will not be killed if they surrender,” he said.

He reiterated his belief that the Marawi siege would end

by Sunday after government troops recovered the White Mosque.

“Kahapon hindi pa nakuha ang White Mosque dahil malakas ang resistance.

Ngayon I got a text na nakuha na so konti na lang. I think by Sunday tapos na ito. Konti na lang just clearing up operations,” Lorenzana said.

On Sunday, Col. Romeo Brawner Jr., deputy commander of the Joint Task Force Marawi, said they had received information that some Maute members had indicated their willingness to surrender.

Brawner said they received feelers from Maute members after the Joint Task Force Marawi put up speakers blasting out the procedures on how members of the Maute group could surrender.

He said those who would surrender, whether combatants or those caught in the crossfire, would undergo medical and psychiatric testing.

Grab,...

From A1 Regulatory Board chairman Martin Delgra, met with the operators of Grab and Uber taxis to address growing concerns that their drivers are being exploited by drug groups to deliver illegal drugs.

“Report suspected packages directly to us,” he said.

On Sept. 19, Jovit Atillano, a suspected ecstasy dealer, was arrested by the PDEA agents in a raid in Mandaluyong City.

Aquino said Atillano used TNVS to deliver packages containing illegal drugs to his online clients.

Both the representatives of Grab and Uber present during the meeting expressed their support to Aquino’s suggestion.

Aquino is also pushing for the creation of a memorandum of understanding among PDEA, LTFRB, Uber and Grab to discuss policies to address the emerging trends of using public transport in delivering illegal drugs in October.

The LTFRB, meanwhile, ordered Uber to stop charging customers for the cost of toll for trips passing through toll gates. Rio N. Araja

PH-US talks begin on Balangiga

By John Paolo Bencito

O

N THE 116th anniversary of the Balangiga uprising that dealt the occupying American troops a resounding defeat, negotiations are under way between the Philippines and the United States government to return the town’s church bells, President Rodrigo Duterte said Thursday.

In his speech at the Eastern Samar town to mark the uprising’s anniversary, Duterte noted that he will try to be “friendlier” with the Western power as the country tries to take back the bells seized as

booty during the PhilippineAmerican War of 1901.

“I was advised by the Department of Foreign Affairs to temper my language and avoid cursing, which I am prone to do when I am emotional,” the

Probe...

“The alleged amount was computed based on “in-andout” bank transactions of the President’s family through the years. Hence, this does not sufficiently prove that the President has accumulated money in the total amount of more than P1 billion at any given time,” Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo told reporters in a chance interview at the Palace Thursday.

Panelo said the alleged bank records of the President, “assuming for the sake of argument that they are correct, do not necessarily indicate that he is hiding money in the total amount of more that P1 billion, and that the same is ill-gotten.”

Presidential Spokesman Ernesto Abella said that while the Palace respects the reported investigation being conducted by the Ombudsman on allegations that Duterte has undeclared wealth hidden in bank accounts, it trusts the Ombudsman’s “impartiality on the matter.”

From A1

“I don’t see any Liberal getting charged—many of them have DAP cases,” the President said. “Is the Ombudsman beholden to the Liberals?”

The President also said corruption was “rampant” in the agency that was supposed to go after grafters in the government.

“There’s no corruption in the Office of the Ombudsman? … Ask the military, the police, your mayors and governors on how much they paid for the ‘arrangement’ of their cases,” the President said.

Earlier, the President’s chief legal counsel Salvador Panelo said that Duterte did not at any time accumulate more than P1 billion in his supposed bank accounts, and denied claims by the Office of the Ombudsman that the President’s bank transactions in joint accounts with his children came to “billions.”

Frat...

From A1 Carmina met with the Justice Secretary and sought help from the government to ensure that those liable for their son’s death from hazing by Aegis Juris fraternity would be brought to justice.

“We assured them that our prosecutors will be doing their best to resolve the case expeditiously. We can expect speedy hearings,” Aguirre said in a chance interview.

According to him, the couple also sought an audience with Duterte, which Aguirre was able to arrange and set for Wednesday next week.

“They know that the people behind [their son’s death] are moneyed and influential so they want to meet the President to allay their fear of possible miscarriage of justice,” Aguirre revealed.

Aguirre said the Castillos were not a rich family, adding the education of the slain law student was being supported by an uncle-doctor.

He also revealed that one of their relatives had already received threats, but did not give details.

Horacio’s parents thanked him for speedy action on the case through issuance of the lookout bulletin order against the suspects just a few days after the incident.

The DoJ ordered the National Bureau of Investigation to conduct a probe and do a case build-up on how Castillo died and who were responsible.

Castillo sustained fatal injuries that

Sereno...

From A1

“This is not just for Sereno but for the committee to find out the truth,” he added.

Dy said the Sereno camp would invoke Section 6 of the House’s on impeachment proceedings.

“It is with respect to the conduct of hearings after the determination of sufficiency of grounds,” Dy said, noting that Sereno had filed her written answer to the impeachment complaint filed against her by lawyer Larry Gadon as mandated by the House justice committee.

“So we have already filed our verified answer. Based on pleadings, the honorable Committee on Justice will determine sufficiency of grounds. Assuming that they do not find sufficiency of grounds, they will and they can dismiss the complaint already,” Dy said.

“Assuming that they do find sufficiency of grounds, they may conduct and they can call for hearings. It is on those hearings that evidence will be presented. Thus, the House rules specifically provide that there will be direct and cross-examinations,” he said.

Sabotage...

From A1 lawyer-director Tomas Alcid, Custom liaison officer to NFA of the Office of the Commissioner Geniefelle Lagmay and Cebu Lite Trading Inc.’s officers Filomena Lim, Roger Lim Jr., Rowena Lim, Joselito Lopez, Josephine Rizalde and

President said.

“But I believe also that a lot of water has passed under the bridge, and of course the [American] liberation came (during World War 2), for the fact that they were present here and the Japanese came. there’s so many factors involved. But I’ll rather be friendly to them,” he added.

The President vowed that no bell will get seized again from the country—even the bells that ice cream vendors ring as they walk down the streets.

“Unless, we will be fighting at the airport,” Duterte said.

Earlier, Malacañang reiterPanelo, on the other hand, warned Overall Deputy Ombudsman Arthur Carandang from futher disclosing details of the President’s alleged bank records, purportedly obtained from the Anti-Money Laundering Council.

“We remind Carandang… that investigatory records complied for law enforcement purposes to the extent that the production of such records deprives a person of a right to a fair trial or an impartial adjudication should not be disclosed while the proceedings are ongoing,” the President’s lawyer said.

“This is expressly stated in Section 3 (f) of the Rules Implementing the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Official and Employees (Republic Act No. 6713). Lest ODO Carandang forgets, violation of the foregoing provision may subject the offender to administrative sanctions,” he added.

caused his death after undergoing initial rites to become part of the Aegis Juris Fraternity.

The DoJ also issued a lookout bulletin order against 20 suspects to prevent them from leaving the country.

The resolution only stated charges of murder, violations of Republic Act 8049 or the Anti-hazing law, perjury and robbery, which prompted MPD officials to keep Solano in detention while awaiting an amended resolution Thursday morning.

The DoJ did not issue such amended resolution, but nonetheless instructed the police to release the suspect already.

Senior Deputy State Prosecutor Richard Anthony Fadullon, head of the task force in charge of the case, coordinated with the MPD and explained there was no need for an amended release order.

“There was no need to include the obstruction of justice charge in the resolution because it was not yet resolved just like the other charges,” Fadullon stressed.

“Also, while obstruction of justice was included in the police’s complaint, they also did not include documents or any detail to explain the said charge,” the senior prosecutor stressed.

Because of this, the police authorities allowed the release of Solano at 1 p.m.

The DoJ reiterated that while Solano was released from detention, it did not mean that he was already off the hook in the criminal charges filed against him and 17 other individuals—mostly members of the Aegis Juris fraternity.

Fadullon said the respondents would In the letter submitted to the committee, the Sereno camp cited Section 6 which provides that the Committee, “through the chairperson, may limit the period of examination and crossexamination.”

“It would make no sense to declare the Hon. Committee’s prerogative to impose reasonable time limits on direct and cross-examination questions, if these rights are not available in the first place,” the letter read.

The Chief Justice “has been more than cooperative throughout the process of her own impeachment... despite the perjurious nature of the complaint and the dubious method of obtaining documents,” the Sereno camp said.

“Despite the short amount of time, she complied and filed her answer, responding to all points and attaching all necessary documents,” it added.

“They [lawyers] will not be allowed to speak directly to do the cross examination. That is not allowed by the Rules of the House,” Umali said.

He said: “Only the resource person, in this particular case, the respondent [Sereno], in my own interpretation of our own rules, may be allowed to do that.”

Ambrosio Ursal Jr. were included in the charge sheet for “conspiring to smuggle” 40,000 bags of rice, in two waves, to Cebu Lite Trading Inc. without payment of Customs taxes and duties and without the required import permit, as they supposedly used fake permits.

The senator said Aquino, Alcid and Lagmay must be held culpable for grave misconduct

ated its calls for the return of the bells.

“Today, September 28, the nation remembers the 116th anniversary of the heroism and gallantry of our forebears in the municipality of Balangiga in Eastern Samar,” Presidential Spokesman Ernesto Abella told reporters.

“And we also reiterate our call for the rightful return of the bells to the country.”

The Palace welcomed the passage of a House of Representatives resolution seeking the United States’ return of the bells.

“The Balangiga bells are inIn a news report, Carandang said that his agency has received Duterte’s bank records from before he became president from 2006 to 2016 and that they show millions of pesos being transacted in joint accounts with his children.

“We can confirm that we received bank transactions from AMLC,” Carandang was quoted

by ABS-CBN as saying. “There were P40 million... P50 million ... there were many.”

Earlier this month, Duterte refused a demand by opposition Senator Antonio Trillanes IV, to publicly release details of his bank accounts, Duterte said, “You must be stupid. ... Why would I give you the pleasure?”

Trillanes first alleged that Duterte had unexplained wealth during the presidential campaign last year. In February, he raised the issue again, saying Duterte had not yet revealed details of more than P2 billion he allegedly kept in bank accounts as a former city mayor.

have to answer the charges in preliminary investigation to be conducted by a panel led by Asst. State Prosecutor Susan Villanueva.

The hearings were set for Oct. 4 and 9.

Solano was brought to the DoJ last Monday for inquest proceedings after he surrendered to the MPD last Sept. 22.

But the DoJ has found that his arrest was invalid because he voluntarily surrendered to the police.

It also stressed he could not be subject of inquest proceedings, which only applied to those arrested in warrantless arrest.

Another primary suspect who reportedly fled to Chicago a couple of days after the incident, Ralph Trangia, was also slapped with the same set of charges of murder, violations of Republic Act 8049, perjury, obstruction of justice and robbery.

Fifteen other respondents were also listed in the charge sheet for the same charges—Trangia’s father Antonio, Arvin Balag, Mhin Wei Chan, Ranie Rafael Santiago, Oliver John Audrey Onofre, Jason Adolfo Robiños, Danielle Hans Matthew Rodrigo, Karl Mathew Villanueva, Joshua Joriel Macabali, Axel Munro Hipe, Marc Anthony Ventura, Aeron Salientes, Marcelino Bagtang, Zimon Padro and Jose Miguel Salamat.

Trangia’s mother Rosemarie was also included in the complaint for obstruction of justice. She accompanied her son to the US. On the other hand, a member of the Aegis Juris Fraternity charged in the death of Castillo showed up at MPD

Go...

From A1 to protect President Rodrigo Duterte and his family during Senate investigations on extrajudicial killings, smuggling and corruption.

As chairman of a committee that holds public officials accountable for wrongdoings, Gordon should have the mindset of an investigator, not a defense lawyer, Trillanes said.

He said Gordon’s leadership of the committee has hurt the independence of the Senate.

Trillanes said he had talked to Pimentel about Gordon, but the Senate president has not acted on these concerns.

Pimentel, on the other hand, did not only tolerate Gordon, he seemed to believe he was doing a good job defending the President.

for their “flagrant disregard of the established rules of procedure of the BoC in allowing the smuggling of rice shipments.”

He called on Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales to place Aquino, Alcid and Lagmay under preventive suspension.

The charges stemmed from the two shipments of rice that entered the country through the Port of Cagayan de Oro without

tegral to our national heritage and the return of those historical relics is crucial to our collective memory and sense of nationhood,” Abella said.

HR 1337 expresses the House’s support to the appeal of President Rodrigo Duterte to the US government to return the Balangiga bells, which were taken as “trophies of war” by the American military troops in 1901.

“Return the Balangiga Bells. It’s ours. It’s part of our heritage,” says the resolution authored by Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez, House Majority Floor Leader Rodolfo Fariñas, Panelo dismissed Trillanes’ charges, saying the senator has been unable to present sufficient evidence to prove his claims against the President.

Meanwhile, Mayor Sara Duterte said she welcomes the probe by the Office of the Ombudsman.

“I welcome it so that we can finally answer all accusations in the proper venue. Thank you,” the presidential daughter said in a statement.

President Duterte earlier denied the allegations of Trillanes saying that he does not have billions in his bank accounts and that his wealth is from the sale of the properties of his late father, former Davao governor Vicente Duterte.

The President said that he acquired a million even when he was still a student in Davao due to the sale of his father’s property. He also authorized everybody to check on his Union Bank account if he has billions of pesos as alleged by Trillanes.

headquarters on Wednesday to deny his involvement in the crime.

Jason Adolfo Robiños, fifth year law student, went to the MPD past 5 p.m.

Wednesday with his lawyer to assure his cooperation in the investigation.

Robiños denied any participation in the Sept. 17 initiation rites that took Castillo’s life.

He said he was in his dormitory when the incident happened.

Robiños also could not pinpoint members possibly involved in the hazing rites.

“I cannot pinpoint (because I was not there). I have no knowledge of everything,” he said.

He said he had been inactive in the fraternity since last year.

Robiños and at least 15 others are facing charges of murder, robbery and violation of the Anti-Hazing Law before the Department of Justice.

Castillo, 22, was laid to rest Wednesday afternoon at the Manila Memorial Park.

Before the burial, a Mass was held and attended by Castillo’s family and friends at the Santuario de San Antonio Parish.

The victim’s family learned about the hazing death incident when his mother, Carmina, received an anonymous text message saying her son had been brought to the Chinese General Hospital.

The Senate on Monday started the hearing on Castillo’s death where senators grilled principal suspect Solano for information regarding Aegis Juris members who were present during the hazing rites. With Bill Casas

“Is there nobody better than Gordon?” he asked in Filipino.

Trillanes also said he would file an ethics and plunder complaint against Gordon, who shrugged off the warning.

“He keeps on threatening.

Let him do his work. I am ready to answer anything,” Gordon told reporters in a telephone interview.

When he heard that Trillanes also threatened to file criminal charges against him for misusing Red Cross funds, he shot back: “What is he? The president of the International Liars Association?

I am not paid there in the Red Cross. Some of you get blood from the Red Cross. Some of you ask for ambulance [service] from the Red Cross. I mean, we serve. I don’t get any money here.”

Gordon had earlier filed an ethics complaint against

necessary permits.

According to Lacson, the first shipment of 21,800 bags of Vietnamese long grain white rice worth $370,600 was on March 9.

A day after, another shipment of 18, 200 bags of the same rice worth $309,400 came in, he said.

“The complaint involved the smuggling of a significant volume of rice shipments con-

Trillanes for his supposed unparliamentary acts, the latest of which, according to Gordon, was calling the Blue Ribbon committee a “comite de absuwelto” (committee to acquit).

Trillanes said he is confident the Gordon complaint will not go anywhere.

Foreign Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano, meanwhile, also came under fire as Human Rights Watch called him the “denier-in-chief” for defending Duterte’s “murderous drug war.”

“Deny everything. That’s the tactic Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Cayetano deployed last week when he took the podium of the United Nations’ General Assembly in New York in a bid to justify his government’s murderous ‘war on drugs’,” said Phelim Kine, Deputy Asia director of Human Rights Watch, in a statement Thursday.

signed to CLTI, a domestic corporation duly registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission on 31 March 1997, with postal address at 14 G. Lavilles Street, Tinago, Cebu City,” the charge sheet read.

The shipments were declared “abandoned and forfeited” on April 26 in favor of the government and the NFA was ordered to dispose of the shipments.

Minority Leader Danilo Suarez, Eastern Samar Rep. Ben Evardone and Northern Samar Rep. Raul Daza.

Duterte asked the Americans to return the bells during his second State of the Nation Address, insisting that they belonged to the Philippines and were part of the Filipinos’ national heritage.

US Ambassador Sung Kim earlier said returning the Balangiga bells was “the right thing to do” and vowed to work with the Philippine government “to come up with the right or the best solution” for the return of the bells.

IN BRIEF Caloocan rep faces graft THE Office of the Ombudsman ordered on Thursday the filing of two counts of graft, one count of malversation and one count of malversation through falsification of public documents against a former Caloocan City representative Mari Mitzi Cajayon before the Sandiganbayan.

The charges stemmed from Cajayon’s alleged involvement in the Priority Development Assistance Fund scam.

Also facing charges were former Department of Social Welfare and Development Secretary Esperanza Cabral, Undersecretary Mateo Montaño, Assistant Secretary Vilma Cabrera, chief accountant Leonila Hayahay and assistant director Pacita Sarino as well as Cenon Mayor of Kalookan Assistance Council Inc.

Du30 confirms offer to Diño PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte confirmed Thursday that he did offer an undersecretary post at the Interior Department to Martin Dino, a political ally who whom he recently unseated as Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority chairman.

“I offered him the undersecretary post, that’s really it because I know he’s already used to it. He was a former barangay captain, so I offered him the post,” the President told state-run broadcaster PTV-4.

Duterte cleared Dino of any fault at the SBMA as he ended the power struggle at the agency by appointing Atty. Wilma Eisma, the incumbent administrator, as the new chair.

John Paolo Bencito

‘No country...

From A1

Bamboo drug triad, it did not mean that he was pinning the blame on its citizens for the proliferation of illegal substances in the Philippines, Abella said. “[The President] did say that he was not blaming any particular country but [that] there was an organized crime that is behind all these drug trafficking. He did refer to [the] Bamboo Triad.

“I’m assuming the Bamboo Triad are of Chinese ethnicity.

They may be Chinese nationals but they are not government-sponsored. I think that has to be cleared.”

In his speech on Tuesday, Duterte said two international drug syndicates had turned the Philippines into their “client state” for large-scale drug trafficking in Southeast Asia and the Americas: the Hong Kong-based 14K and the Taiwan-based United Bamboo Gang, also known as UBG. Duterte likewise noted that those cooking shabu in the country were given “franchise and distribution” rights by these two groups to operate in the country.

He said the country was being used as a “transshipment” point of the crime groups that had “turned international,” and that he was seeking help from the United States to help control the drug smuggling.

On Wednesday, Taiwan denied Duterte’s claim that it was a source of drugs in the Philippines, with its representative in Manila Gary Song-Huann Lin saying he would like to get information on the President’s allegations.

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Cayetano, Tillerson discuss PH-US ties

Miriam OKd to receive top civilian award THERE is no question about the legacy of the late Senator Miriam DefensorSantiago, Malacañang said Thursday as it welcomed moves to confer the Quezon Service Cross to the late lawmaker.

“The Office of the President welcomes moves to confer on the late Senator Miriam Defensor–Santiago the Quezon Service Cross,” Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella said in a Palace news briefing.

“The late Senator’s contribution to the country is beyond question. The President highly respects the lady. We look forward to receiving the resolution of the Senate,” he added.

The Quezon Service Cross is the highest recognition that may be given to a civilian by the Philippine president, with concurrence of the Senate and the House of Representatives.

John Paolo Bencito

BoC agents nab 2 Chinese smugglers CUSTOMS agents arrested two Chinese nationals for attempting to smuggle hundreds of skimming devices at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

Arrested were Gong Yongjie and Wang Ji, both from Guangzhou, China who arrived at the Naia 1 onboard China Southern flight. They were stopped by customs agents after their baggage revealed images of irregularities in the X-ray machines.

“Their baggage was immediately examined by the customs examiner in the presence of other customsNaia agents and they found 187 pieces of brand new One Time Password Cards (OTP) and 153 pieces of used ATM, debit cards and new sim cards,” Maj. Jaybee Raul Cometa, head of X-ray Inspection Project, said. Vito Barcelo

NBI arrests fugitive drug trafficker THE National Bureau of Investigation on Thursday said bureau agents arrested a fugitive foreign national involved in illegal drugs trafficking.

NBI Director Dante Gierran identified the foreign national as Markis Scott Turner, also known as Filip Novak, an Australian national, who is facing criminal cases for drug trafficking in Australia.

Turner has been hiding in the Philippines for the last couple of years to evade prosecution.

Gierran said the Australian government sought the provisional arrest of Turner through the Secretary of the Department of Justice, pursuant to Article 9 of the Treaty of Extradition between Australia and the Republic of the Philippines (PH-AU Extradition Treaty). Bill Casas

Customs acquires 19 X-ray units THE Customs bureau announced on Thursday it has acquired 19 new X-ray machines to prevent the entry of contraband via personal belongings and hand carried luggage at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

The acquisition of the machines, according to Customs commissioner Isidro Lapeña Jr., was made to address the increasing incidents of smuggling and drug trafficking in airport terminals.

Lapeña said the 10 fixed baggage, seven hand-carried baggage and two mobile Xray machines worth P172 million will be installed by the winning bidder Casedist Inc. at airport terminals 1, 2 and 3. Joel E. Zurbano

By Sara Susanne D. Fabunan

INDIGNATION RALLY. Activists from Southern Tagalog led by militant group Karapatan staged an indignation rally in front of the Camp Aguinaldo gate as they condemned ground and air operations of the Armed Forces of the Philippines in civilian communities in Batangas City that allegedly resulted initial reports of civilian deaths and forced hundreds of families in two barangays to flee from their homes. Photo shows some group members throwing a paint bomb to dramatize their protest. Manny Palmero

SC issues confidentiality rules on sensitive cases T

By Rey E. Requejo

HE Supreme Court has laid down new guidelines on its confidentiality rule on names and personal information of victims in sensitive cases.

In an administrative circular, the SC set down procedures for promulgation, publication and posting of decisions, resolutions and orders in cases of rape, child abuse, human trafficking and other sensitive crimes where confidentiality of identities of parties is required by laws.

The circular requires the SC, Court of Appeals, Sandiganbayan and trial courts to prepare two copies of their decisions and orders on cases covered by the confidentiality rule.

The first copy will be the unmodified version of the ruling or order that contained the names and personal circumstances of the victims and will be placed in a sealed blue envelope signed by the clerk of court.

The second copy, on

the other hand, will be the modified copy of the ruling where the name of the victim will be changed with fictional initial set by the court and the personal circumstances will be redacted.

“Only the authenticated hard copies of the second (modified copy) of the promulgated decision and amended or new decision, final resolution or order of the handling court shall be released to and served on the parties in accordance with the Rules of Court,” read the guidelines signed by Acting Chief Justice Antonio Carpio.

When the cases reach the SC, the judicial staff head of the justice in charge shall submit copies of the second copy of the ruling “placed in a brown-colored envelope,

Be wary of HIV/AIDS, solon tells dating apps subscribers

By Maricel V. Cruz IN THIS age of smartphone-based dating and “hook-ups,” a party-list lawmaker on Thursday warned the public to be wary about contracting sexually-transmitted diseases, such as HIV/AIDS which is rapidly reaching epidemic proportions.

“I believe it’s everybody’s right to be happy, but you can’t stay happy if you aren’t healthy,” Puwersa ng Bayaning Atleta Party-list Rep. Jericho Nograles said.

“Sadly, the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the country is very real. In fact, the Philippines has the fastest-growing number of human immunodeficiency virus infections in the Asia-Pacific. This virus isn’t something that you can simply swipe off,” Nograles noted.

Nograles made the statement in response to an announcement from the United Nations last August wherein it bared that there are 10,500 HIV cases in the

country at the end of 2016.

This is a rather alarming 140 percent jump from the 4,300 cases registered in 2010.

HIV infections are a precursor to the deadly Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS).

As to the popularity of dating apps like Tinder, Skout, OKCupid, and HowAboutWe among Filipinos, Nograles said that a measure of precaution is needed if the country is to put the HIV/AIDS figures in check.

“These smartphone apps make connecting with new people easy and fun as if you were just playing a game. And when we play games, more often than not we don’t give much thought about the consequences of our actions,” Nograles pointed out.

“The reality is, thanks to technology, casual sex has never been easier. In the light of the HIV/AIDS situation in the country wherein infections are on the rise, precaution is a must,” Nograles said.

separately marked, dated and authenticated.”

And after promulgation of the ruling, the SC clerk of court is required to keep the original hard copy of the first copy in a red-colored envelope.

The second or modified copy, on the other hand, shall be placed in a yellow envelope.

The same administrative order promulgated last Sept.

5 also prohibits the release of the first copies of covered cases to the public or the

media—expect when allowed by the court and upon waiver by the party involved.

“The unauthorized release to the public or to the media of hard or soft copies of the first copy of the decisions final resolutions or orders of the courts, in covered cases ... shall be considered grave offenses and shall be punishable with the penalties provided under the Civil Service Rules on Administrative Cases for grave offenses, without prejudice to the criminal

and civil liabilities that the violators may incur under applicable law,” the administrative order stressed.

The new guidelines expanded the implementation of the administrative order issued by the SC in 2015, which required the replacement of names of victims of sensitive crimes like rape, child abuse, violence against women and children, and human trafficking with fictitious initials in decisions released by the courts.

FOREIGN Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano and United States Secretary of State Rex Tillerson met in Washington on Wednesday and pledged to continue working closely together on issues of mutual interest and concern.

The Philippine Embassy in Washington said the two secretaries reaffirmed the importance of the partnership and alliance between both countries, which Secretary Tillerson noted is “on an upward vector.”

“Secretary Tillerson and I discussed a broad range of bilateral issues, including our ongoing campaign against criminality, terrorism and illegal drugs,” Cayetano said after meeting his American counterpart at the State Department.

Cayetano said he informed Tillerson that Manila would welcome further cooperation with Washington, especially on initiatives that would address the illegal drugs problem in the country.

He added that he discussed with Tillerson the openness of the Philippines to receive independent observers or investigators who wishes to take a closer look into not only the illegal drug problem but also the government’s campaign to eradicate it.

“We made it clear that we have nothing to hide and that we are ready to work with experts or observers as long as they are independent and fair,” Secretary Cayetano said in a statement issued after the meeting.

A4

Opinion

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2017

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Adelle Chua, Editor

EDITORIAL

‘Yellow alert’

T

HE series of “yellow alerts” declared

by National Grid Corporation of the Philippines in Luzon shows the vulnerability of the island’s power supply.

The grid operator again placed the entire grid on yellow alert Thursday after some power plants went on an unplanned outage, joining those that have already scheduled their maintenance shutdown and others which reduced their generating

capacity.

A yellow alert is declared if the power reserves drop below the minimum level set by the grid operator, which is about 624 megawatts of electricity. The unplanned shutdown of some power plants and the reduced capacity

of the other stations slashed the available reserves by 150 MW. A yellow alert implies thinner reserves and does not necessarily lead to power outages, compared with a red alert in which the electricity supply is deficient and which results in brownouts.

But the government, especially the Department of Energy, should review its current policy on power plants

to minimize yellow alerts. Manila Electric Co. president Oscar Reyes said yellow alerts were a “reality” and showed the weakness of the Luzon grid.

The Meralco executive noted that the series of yellow alerts in the Luzon grid since late August underscored the need for additional power capacities to meet the increasing demand. “I think it just shows potential vulnerability of

the entire system and you’re better with adequate capacity. If we cut it too thinly, and there are a bit delays, then we’re going into a situation as we move to 2019 to 2022,” said Reyes.

Power plants take at least three years to build and with local government units and self-proclaimed environment groups contributing to the delay in their construction, the electricity supply

may be outstripped by demand sooner or later.

Aging power plants and those suffering chronic breakdowns should be taken off from the list of baseload units to encourage the construction of more modern and efficient stations.

Consumers bear the brunt of power outages, while the economy takes a direct hit when productivity slows down.

PENSEES FR. RANHILIO CALLANGAN AQUINO

Before we rewrite our Constitution I HAVE read at least two draft revisions of our Constitution.

I am now more confused because I had earlier thought that the reason we were rewriting our fundamental law is because we wanted to reconfigure ourselves into a Federal Republic. But the drafts aim at restructuring the legislature and the executive into a parliamentary government, and also at a possible extension of the terms of incumbents. This is not helpful to the national debate: It creates too many fronts to allow for cohesive and consistent discourse. It

Everything rests on one very important supposition: That there is an antecedent commitment to abide by the primary law.

Anonymous assassins LOWDOWN

JOJO A. ROBLES WAY back in the Typewriter Age, when I was starting out in the newspapers, journalists prayed daily to the gods of the central desk that they would find us worthy of being awarded the byline, the coveted proof of authorship that proclaimed to the whole world that our stories were good enough to be accompanied by our own names. Our editors taught us that seeing our names in the paper was something we could expect only if we deserved it; the withholding of this unique recognition was to be our daily lot if we did a half-assed job of gathering the news, hammering out the right lede and coming up with complete and accurate details in our reports.

Times have changed, of course. Not only has the newspaper byline been much devalued, like a lot of other things,

but social media—now the main medium of popular public discourse—has given rise to the anonymous author, who peddles fake news, scurrilous snark and character assassination under the cover of a bogus identity.

Of course, anonymity in public discourse is not a modern invention. In this country, the most prominent members of the Propaganda Movement in the last decade of the 19th century used aliases to protect themselves from retribution by the Spanish authorities, about whom they wrote scathingly in their “blog,” La Solidaridad.

Thus, Marcelo H. del Pilar was known by his nom de plume Plaridel, Antonio Luna was Taga-Ilog and Jose Rizal had two aliases, Laong-Laan and Dimasalang. (Rizal, however, wrote his two great novels under his own name.)

The contemporary, Internetaided version of political propaganda is different, however, because it is not only intended to protect its authors from criminal prosecution. It also lulls them

into a false sense of security giv- a refusal to take responsibility en to them by their anonymity, for one’s actions.

And the people who truly unwhich they seem to require in order to make all the unfounded, derstand how both the Internet libelous and irresponsible state- and social media work should ments that they feel they should remember that this anonymity is illusory. It is, with the proper make.

It is important to understand tools and knowhow, actually easier to unthat the current cover the true fad of using fake identity of names or anonypeople online mous groups onThere is than to find line is not really out the author about modesty, understandably of a mimwhich no writer eographed on any platform no pride of screed. desires. What authorship when I’d be the anonyashamed to mous blogger one is engaged use my real truly seeks is in a criminal name, too, not freedom of if the best I expression but activity. could come freedom from up with was responsibility.

There is unfake news derstandably no and libelpride of authorship when one is ous opinion. Back in the day, I engaged in a criminal activity, would even lose my job.

I guess pride of authorship like maligning the character of another person for purely politi- is nowhere near as important cal reasons and with no real ba- to the character assassins and sis. That is really cowardice and fake news-mongers as getting

people to believe in they lies they attempt to make us believe. But unless you’re truly, irredeemably gullible, you really shouldn’t waste your time reading something that even its author will not claim as his or her own. *** Here’s another reason why the current charges leveled against Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno are different from those made against her impeached and convicted predecessor, the late Renato Corona. Sereno is not getting any love in her own backyard, from everyone from her own colleagues down to ordinary judges and even to lowly court workers and employees.

According to one newspaper account, Sereno backer Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman was greeted with stony silence at the national convention of the Metropolitan and City Judges Association of the Philippines in Legazpi City last week when he asked the assembled judges to sign a manifesto of support for the em-

battled chief magistrate. None of the judges present, the report said, even made a move to even draft a pro-Sereno statement.

The same report said that the Philippine Association of Court Employees, an organization which claims over 27,000 member-employees in lower courts nationwide, has also decided not to issue a statement on Sereno’s impeachment. Even the Supreme Court Employees Association has refused to support the chief justice because Sereno “is not popular among Supreme Court employees.”

The workers said they supported the well-liked Corona during his historic impeachment trial in 2012. “She’s no CJ Corona who would go out of his way to talk to the smallest employees in the court and check on their concerns.

It is also during her time when our allowances were cut significantly,” an employee said.

I recall that Corona’s only enemies within the judiciary during his impeachment were Turn to A5

also invites a wholesale rejection of what might otherwise be a valuable proposal because of one or the other objectionable but really unnecessary adjunct! It is like dealing with a graduate school thesis that aims at two foci—which is no way of writing a thesis at all!

France is said to be one of the better examples of “constitutionalism”—the theory that you structure the government and in fact the body-politic by rewriting a constitution. Of course it is an idealist theory, but there is nothing inherently wrong with that. The realities of the political world always exert drag, but you need high ideals—as those the French Revolution championed though at a tremendous (and, in several respects, deplorable) cost—as those that should go into the writing of the charter of a State. That should be particularly true at a time when the whole notion of “sovereignty” seems to be slipping into obsolescence, surfacing in rhetoric when such disputes as territorial claims and maritime boundaries flare up. Soon, wrote Lyotard not too long ago on French higher education, the State and its decrees and regulations will be “static” in relation to the borderless transactions, exchanges and movements that Turn to A5

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Opinion Japan has to spend less on well-off elderly

By Noah Smith WHEN discussing Japan’s debt, most people get caught up in the issue of fiscal solvency. As everyone by now knows, Japan has a very high level of debt versus gross domestic product: This attention-grabbing number—about twice the level of the US—often gets people asking whether Japan will default. Some believe a default is likely when the country runs out of domestic buyers for government bonds, causing interest rates to rise. Others think the Bank of Japan can simply print money and buy government bonds without causing devastating hyperinflation.

Shrewd observers point out that Japan’s debt isn’t quite as large as the headline number suggests, since much of it is held not by the public but by various arms of the Japanese government.

The solvency question surely is an important one. But it’s only one part of the larger issue. Since the vast bulk of Japan’s government debt is owned by Japanese people, the question isn’t about paying back external creditors. It’s a matter of distribution of economic resources among the Japanese people.

If the government defaulted on its debt tomorrow, it would certainly hurt the financial system and cause a recession. But the most lasting effect would be to let Japanese taxpayers off the hook, while Japanese bondholders would find themselves less wealthy.

The country wouldn’t have a fundamentally weaker economy—all the factories and land and people and know-how would still be there. But the promises about who gets to receive the fruits of that economy would be shifted.

The real problem with Japan’s debt, therefore, isn’t so much the danger of default; it’s that the government has made lots of promises to transfer real economic resources from young, working Japanese people to old, retired, bondholding Japanese people. But Japan has a lot of old people and not many young people— 27 percent of the population is over 65, higher than any other country. Forcing that shrinking group of young people to keep the economic promises that the government has made on their behalf represents a crushing economic burden. And if that economic burden makes it harder to raise children, fertility will be suppressed, making the problem even worse in the future.

So the Japanese government needs to find some way of making the retiring babyboom generation a little bit poorer and the hard-working younger generations a little bit richer. Raising taxes, as Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s administration has already done and is trying to do once again, won’t accomplish this goal—tax collection is just a way of the government mak-

ing good on its promises to old people, at the expense of the young. A better idea is to cut spending.

Some outside observers, recalling Japan’s wasteful construction binge in the 1990s, are prone to calling for cuts in public investment. But this was already done, long ago —government investment in Japan is barely half its former level in inflation-adjusted terms, and as a percent of GDP it’s less than half. Besides, construction spending benefits both young and old, so cutting it isn’t an efficient way of easing the burden on the young.

That leaves social security and health care—the two kinds of spending that involve the biggest net transfer from young people to old. Cutting either of these things is politically very difficult—the Japanese electorate is dominated by older people. So the government is, wisely, resorting to methods that are less likely to cause a public outcry.

The first is the so-called macroeconomic slide. Starting in fiscal 2018, when the country experiences either price or wage deflation, pension benefits will fall—but when there’s inflation or wage gains, benefits rise more slowly. This system is similar to the way that companies often cut real wages for workers— simply let inflatio n do the job.

The macroeconomic slide made the fiscal outlook rosier in 2014, when inflation briefly surged above the 2 percent target. But inflation has once again disappeared, despite continued monetary easing, proving how difficult it is for central banks to generate even moderate inflation.

Health care is a thornier issue. Japan has one of the cheapest and most cost-effective health systems in the world, but the sheer size of the aging problem is steadily increasing total spending: Japanese policy makers and academics are thinking about ways to cut health care outlays even further, with minimal damage to the welfare of its elderly population. One idea is to have the government limit the amount of care that people are allowed to consume.

So Japan is making progress on reducing the amount that it redistributes from young to old. But there’s also the issue of rich versus poor —pension cuts, for example, will fall hardest on the elderly poor. Japan can mitigate this by making the pension system more redistributive by reducing benefits only to wealthier retirees.

This much is certain—Japan’s young people can’t bear the burden of the promises that politicians made on their behalf in decades past. Raising taxes isn’t the solution, debt default would cause unacceptable economic chaos, and generating inflation is hard to do. Lowering pension and medical benefits to well-off elderly people, though it’s a harsh and draconian measure, looks like the least-bad option. Bloomberg

Before...

From A4 have created their own modes of communication and that are unmistakably claiming ever widening swathes of public life!

But constitutionalism rests on one very important supposition: that there is an antecedent commitment to abide by the Constitution. And while this used to be a “matter of course” whenever we wrote constitutions in the past, it must be asked today, with more acuteness, whether we are still dealing with a factual premise, or with an unverified but nonetheless operant assumption. Of course, our teachers will still repeat the well-worn refrain: “The Constitution is the fundamental law of the land,” but when there is so much in public life that makes the constitution seem to be some malleable document that can be twisted and warped according to the tastes, the temper, and the oddities of those who are sworn to defend it, then one wonders whether it is the nation that is regulated by the Constitution, or whether it is mood and fancy, or even impertinence and stupidity that make our reading of the country’s charter take grotesque forms.

Or is it time to be disenchanted with Constitutions? That might very well be so, but what are our alternatives? “Ours is a government of laws and not of men”—that does not seem to be very trusting of men and women, although it is they who write the laws, but it is a sound and necessary acknowledgement of the fickleness that afflicts us all and the decisions we make. And so we create the artificiality called lex which institutionalizes the jus—better, the jura—to which we can unchangingly and with certainty lay claim: such as the right not to be deprived of life and property without due process of law.

Before being taken up in what is doubtlessly the challenging task of deciding what the provisions of the new constitution shall be, it will be well to ask ourselves whether there remains a popular, unwritten, “sovereign” resolve to abide by the Constitution because, truth to tell, given all that we have seen of late, this can no longer be presupposed! rannie_aquino@csu.edu.ph / rannie_aquino@sanbeda.edu.ph / rannie_aquino@outlook.com

Anonymous...

From A4

some of his own colleagues, who thought they would succeed him if he was removed.

Instead, they got Sereno, who is so unpopular that even the

members of her own court have reportedly expressed a willingness to testify against her, should she go to trial in the Senate.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2017

A5

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Clearing the haze in the law BACK CHANNEL ALEJANDRO DEL ROSARIO THE ambiguous and vague provisions of the anti-hazing law is going be cleared up by a proposed measure in the Senate. In fact, its proponents Senate President Koko Pimentel, Senators Miguel Zubiri and Sherwin Gatchalian seek to junk the old law and totally make illegal the act of hazing in fraternity organizations. The more draconian law is a result of the death of University of Santo Tomas student Horacio Castillo III at the hands of his “masters” during initiation rites.

In the House subcommittee on prosecutorial reforms, Bagong Henerasyon PartyList Rep. Bernadette Herrera Uy authored HB 3467 that criminalizes hazing. The anti-hazing law of 1995 has proven to be a non-deterrent to this barbaric practice in fraternities.

Under the proposed law, violators of the new law face imprisonment of six years and a hefty fine whether the victim dies or not. It is as it should be, especially in the Castillo case since the suspects are all law students at UST. They are supposed to be the future guardians of the law. As such, these law students should already be versed in basic law . Instead they worked around the weakness and loophole of the existing law which has a low conviction rate according to the Philippine National Police. Most of the accused in earlier cases are still at large with some fleeing the country to evade prosecution.

Six members of the Aegis Juris fraternity who took direct participation in Castillo’s hazing were named by suspect John Paul Solano during an executive session held in the Senate. Solano is now under the custody of the Manila Police Department and is being held for perjury because of the inconsistencies in his story that he found

the victim sprawled on the sidewalk in Tondo.

Solano, facing perjury and murder charges, was left with no option but name his fraternity brothers who took part in the fatal hazing of Castillo. His reason: “They left me twisting in the air to face prosecution alone,” lamented Solano.

A part-time medical technologist, Solano said he was called by phone by a frat member to look at someone in the frat house. He said that when he arrived and examined that someone—who turned out to be Castillo— his vital signs were already weak. He said frat leaders told him to bring the body to the Chinese General Hospital in La Loma but Castillo was dead on arrival.

Solano said that on learning they had killed Castillo, the suspects panicked and fled, each going separate ways with some taking a plane to nearby countries with onward flight to the US. Flight or fleeing by suspects in a crime is considered an

admission of guilt. As law students, they should know the Philippines and the US have an extradition treaty which means they can be brought back to to the country when arrested abroad.

The Department of Justice asked the DFA to cancel the suspects’ passports. Philippine embassies and consulates abroad will then be instructed by the DFA not to renew their documents.

Solano could be made a state witness against his fraternity brothers. This is a strong possibility since Solano turned himself in to the MPD and claimed he has CCT film footage showing him in their neighborhood at the time of the fatal hazing.

Horacio Castillo III was laid to rest at the Manila Memorial Park on Wednesday.. His case, however, must not be laid to rest. Those responsible for his death must be brought to justice. This is where the so-called long arm of the law must prove its reach even if the fugitives

have fled abroad.

SWS survey The Social Weather Stations came up with a survey saying 50 percent of the people do not believe those killed in police operations against illegal drugs fought the arresting officers. Only 20% agreed the victims resisted arrest.

Malacañang Spokesman Ernesto Abella reacted predictably claiming the SWS survey posed leading questions to the respondents. The question was “Do you believe the suspects killed fought the policemen?”

Yet when SWS survey showed Filipinos support President Duterte’s war on drugs, the Palace used the survey results as an endorsement of the president’s actions. Malacañang should take both surveys to mean that while the people support the war on drugs, they do not agree with the alleged extrajudicial killings of suspects specially of young men caught during police operations.

A question of trust FORMATION GARY OLIVAR IN ITS latest quarterly survey last June 23-26, Social Weather Stations asked respondents if they agreed with the statement that “Many of those killed by the police in the anti-drug campaign did not really fight against the police.”

The statement was awkwardly phrased, of course.

But perhaps that was only because it may have been an overly literal translation from the original Tagalog that might have read as follows (we’re guessing, not having seen the actual language itself): “Karamihan ng mga napatay ng pulis sa kampanya laban sa droga ay hindi talaga nanlaban [pumalag?] sa mga pulis.”

Regardless of construction issues, the statement seems clear enough to have prompted 54 percent of the respondents to answer that they agreed with it. As a matter of fact, 20 percent of them strongly agreed.

*** Expectedly, the usual suspects went to town on this.

The folks at Human Rights Watch crowed that the survey supported the “critical mass of compelling evidence” that they say they’ve gathered about “an unlawful killing campaign.”

Even the usual allies of the administration in the Senate, having already signed on earlier to a minority-initiated resolution “condemning the killings,” continued to keep their distance. The Senate President said that trust in, and credibility of, the PNP among the senators was “nil.” And Senator Lacson, a former PNP chief, flat-out advised the police to “go back to the drawing board and perfect your operations.”

At this point, and after the spate of teenage killings in Caloocan, nobody can seriously dispute the presence of rogue cops in the force. General Bato himself pegged the number at 2 percent, which means a couple of thousand cops, certainly enough to drag down the reputation of the entire organization.

The NCR police commander, General Oscar Al-

bayalde, has gone ahead and replaced the entire Caloocan police force. If only we could be sure that all of the 2 percent bad apples could be found in Caloocan.

But that of course is highly unlikely, leaving Albayalde with a lot of unaddressed mess still to be cleaned up.

The majority opinion solicited by SWS obviously supports the existence of rogue cops. But inferring as well that it also supports the existence of “an unlawful killing campaign” that started only after Duterte became president is another thing entirely. It betrays a willful misunderstanding of the history and reality of the urban poor in this country. *** It shouldn’t come as a surprise that the highest agreement with the statement was found among respondents in Metro Manila (63 percent) and those belonging to the lowest socioeconomic Class E (58 percent). That’s because of the simple historical fact that the urban poor have always mistrusted the police.

That mistrust has been

part of their culture long before Duterte became president. It’s not even unique to the Philippines. The same perceptions can also be found among the poor in other countries as well.

Is it because it is naturally easier for those in power, uniformed and armed, to abuse their authority around those who are powerless and cannot fight back? That’s a reasonable hypothesis to make about human nature. And so the path to reform by the PNP becomes clear: Train and lead police officers to take the more difficult route of mastering their worst instincts instead of just giving in. And put painful penalties in place for officers who can’t or won’t do that.

That’s the proper interpretation of the significance of the SWS findings, not from some foreign ideological, or domestic partisan, agenda. *** Many of the urban poor may believe in the capacity of policemen to commit such excesses. For them, this is nothing new anymore.

What IS new for them is the experience, being reported from many of their communities, that crime rates have drastically dropped since the drug war started; that other forms of public misbehavior, like gambling and drinking and general rowdiness, have also gone down; that they feel much safer about walking their streets by day or night.

The war against drugs is meting out a very rough form of justice, of course, with much potential for collateral damage and abuse of power.

But roughness is something the poor are used to. Justice is something they’re much less familiar with.

For those of us who aren’t poor and don’t live in that reality, we ought to put ourselves in their shoes as best we can. Otherwise we’ll be scratching our heads again when the next surveys come out showing that Duterte’s personal trust and popularity ratings have hardly been dented by whatever his policemen may or may not have done.

Readers can write me at gbolivar1952@yahoo.com.

Distracted driving VIRTUAL REALITY TONY LOPEZ TODAY, I adopt as my column an excellent article written by my daughter, Ivy. She is a lawyer and mother of three and married to Benedict, also a lawyer: When you drive and take your eyes off the road for two seconds, you are a distracted driver and you are 4 times more likely to have an accident. If the distraction is longer, more frequent, or affects your driving, the risk rises to 24 times.

Worldwide, over 1.25 million people die yearly from traffic accidents.

That’s a road death every 25 seconds. It is the top killer of young drivers aged 15-29. (World Health Organization or WHO) Due to rising income and car ownership, 80 percent of road deaths occur in middle income countries like the Philippines, although they only drive half of the world’s cars. (WHO) Driver error causes 94 percent of car crashes. Mistakes include a wrong maneuver like a bad pass or a violation of traffic laws like speeding. But the most prevalent reason is driver distraction. (US National Safety Council or NSC) “Distractions now join alcohol and speeding as leading factors in fatal and serious injury crashes.”

(NSC) What is driver distraction?

To drive safely, we need three abilities:

1. Visual—to see the road without any obstructions 2. Physical—to keep our hands on the steering wheel 3. Cognitive—to keep our attention on the road, which includes auditory.

Once we impair any of the above skills, we become distracted drivers and we risk our safety and those of other motorists and pedestrians.

The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) defines distraction as a specific type of inattention that occurs when drivers divert their attention from the driving task to focus on some other activity instead.

Distraction as a subset of inattention which includes the driver’s physical condition (fatigued, sleepy, sick) and emotional state (stressed, anxious, bored, furious).

“Anything that takes your attention away from driving can be a distraction. Sending a text message, talking on a cellphone, using a navigation system, and eating while driving are a few examples of distracted driving. Any of these distractions can endanger the driver and others.” (Center for Disease Control and Prevention or CDC) We all know not to use a phone while driving In the last decade since the introduction of the smart mobile phone, its use by drivers on the road has increased dramatically. Almost all drivers acknowledge the danger of using a cellphone while driving, yet data in finding a direct link that cellphone use caused

a road accident is grossly inadequate, underreported, and hard to collect.

In 2011, WHO estimated 1.4 million crashes from drivers talking on cellphones and about 200,000 crashes from texts or emails sent by the driver.

This number is now too low given that there are about 5 billion cellphone users in the world.

In a three-month 2017 survey of 3.1 million US motorists by Zendrive, a driving data collector, 88 percent of drivers used their cellphones to talk or text while driving. Cellphone users averaged 3.5 minutes for every hour on the road.

“Using mobile phones can cause drivers to take their eyes off the road, their hands off the steering wheel, and their minds off the road and the surrounding situation. It is this last type of distraction—known as cognitive distraction— which appears to have the biggest impact on driving behavior. Evidence shows that the distraction caused by mobile phones can impair driving performance in a number of ways, e.g. longer reaction times (notably braking reaction time, but also reaction to traffic signals), impaired ability to keep in the correct lane, and shorter following distances.” (WHO) “Texting while driving is especially dangerous because it combines all three types of distraction.” (CDC) In the Philippines, its Anti-Distracted Driving Law (RA 10913) only punishes the use of electronic handheld devices while operating a motor vehicle. It does not

penalize hands-free mobile use nor the use of any builtin electronic device in the car like the radio or GPS when either still causes driver distraction.

Hands-free is not risk-free While a hands-free device seems like a solution to driver distraction (since it keeps the driver’s eyes on the road and hands on the wheel) its use is not much safer than handheld mobiles.

Drivers who use handheld or hands-free cellphones while driving are still visually impaired. When we are on the phone, we split our attention span so that we look but we do not see, and we also lose our peripheral vision. “[D]rivers using cellphones look but fail to see up to 50 percent of the information in their driving environment. Distracted drivers experience what researchers call inattention blindness, similar to that of tunnel vision. Drivers are looking out the windshield, but they do not process everything in the roadway environment that they must know to effectively monitor their surroundings, seek and identify potential hazards, and respond to unexpected situations.”

(NSC) Also, hands-free devices do not eliminate cognitive distraction because holding a conversation takes the driver’s mind off the road.

“Using hands-free phones while driving has been shown to lead to reduced visual monitoring of instruments in the car and the general traffic situation, and negatively impacts on vehicle control.

This evidence suggests that hands-free phones are not

safer to use than hand-held phones in terms of driving performance.” (WHO) Further, drivers who hold their cellphones as they drive typically exhibit compensatory driving behavior by slowing down or increasing following distances. But talking on the phone handsfree could make the driver lax.

“Interestingly, some limited evidence suggests that drivers using hands-free phones are less likely to show such compensatory behavior compared to those who drive and use hand-held phones.

This may be because the physical presence of a handheld phone acts as a reminder to the driver of the potential safety threat posed by the use of the phone.” (WHO) Texting hikes your risk More dangerous than talking on the phone, is texting while driving, which increases your chance of an accident by eight times because it impairs your manual, visual, and cognitive skills. (Oregon State University) “The absolute worst is texting on a cell phone, which is a whole group of distractions.

With texting, you’re doing something besides driving, thinking about something besides driving, and looking at the wrong thing,” said David Hurwitz, co-author of the Oregon State study.

Hurwitz said that drivers drove more slowly while texting, took their eyes off the road more often, and showed worse lateral control. These result in inattention blindness, slower reaction, and going off lane. biznewsasia@gmail.com

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World

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2017 Cesar Barrioquinto, Editor

Stuffed cow in pizzzeria draws flak ADELAIDE―An Australian pizzeria that hung a taxidermied dairy cow from its ceiling to call attention to the industrialization of the farming industry has been criticized on social media for cruelty.

Owners Federico and Melissa Pisanelli, who are passionate about animal welfare, defended their decision to hang the large Friesian-Hereford cow from its hind legs, saying they wanted to remind patrons of how meat was sourced.

“We have worked hard to educate on the origins of the food we are serving,” Melissa Pisanelli told AFP at the Etica restaurant in the southern city of Adelaide, which has meat and dairy on its menu.

“It’s talking about how the industry has become industrialized, and how it’s moving in a way that doesn’t keep up with consumers’ perceptions.”

Federico Pisanelli said they also wanted the confrontational installation, which is right above dining tables, to challenge the “idyllic view of happy cows and green pastures”.

“It is confronting to look at a cow like that because it contradicts our usual representations of a dairy cow”.

The installation has sparked debate on the restaurant’s Facebook page, with one user accusing the owners of promoting “cruelty, ignorance and dissonance”. AFP

Girl, three, annointed as ‘goddess’ K AT H M A N DU―A three-year-old girl was anointed the new Kumari of Kathmandu by Hindu priests on Thursday in a ritual that will see her worshiped as a “living goddess” until she reaches puberty.

Wearing a red dress, Trishna Shakya was taken from her home to an ancient palace in the Nepalese capital’s historic Durbar Square where her initiation began with a short ceremony.

She was then carried by her father across the cobbled square―which still bears the scars of a powerful earthquake that hit in 2015―to the Kumari’s palace where she will live under the care of speciallyappointed guardians.

Flanked by her family and barefoot men in red tunics, the short walk was the last time the three-year-old will be seen in public without the elaborate makeup of the Kumari until puberty, when she will become a normal girl once again.

“I have mixed feelings.

My daughter has become the Kumari and it is a good thing. But there is also sadness because she will be separated from us,” her father Bijaya Ratna Shakya told AFP. AFP

Sonic mystery in Cuba deepens after fruitless investigation HAVANA―Months of investigations into the so-called sonic attacks on American diplomats in Cuba, which have soured WashingtonHavana relations for most of the past year, have turned up nothing.

Cuba said last week it found no evidence to support US claims that several American diplomats in Ha-

vana were harmed in what US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson called surreptitious “health attacks.”

In a saga seemingly ripped from the pages of a Cold War spy novel, at least 21 US officials and a smaller number of Canadians have received treatment for a variety of symptoms including brain trauma and hearing loss.

Questions linger over whether they are the result of targeted attacks, sabotage, or an accident.

Suspicions were first aroused in late 2016, but Washington waited until August 2017 to announce that several of its embassy employees had fallen victim to mystery health problems that remain unexplained.

US officials have told reporters they believe some kind of inaudible sound weapon was used on its staff either inside or outside their residences in Havana.

The labor union representing US diplomats said their diagnoses of those treated included mild traumatic brain injury and permanent hearing loss.

On September 14, the num-

ber of employees affected was 21, with the latest incident being reported last month, US officials said, adding that the monitoring of their staff in Havana was ongoing.

A source close to the Canadian embassy told AFP that more than five families had been affected, including several children, but that none of those cases appeared

Kurds face growing isolation A

RBIL, Iraq―Iraq’s Kurds faced the threat of growing isolation Thursday after a massive “yes” vote for independence in a referendum that has incensed Baghdad and sparked international concern.

VISIT. French President Emmanuel Macron is about to shake hands with a municipal motorbike police officer during a visit on the theme of security on September 27, 2017, in Lyon. AFP

PM orders all foreign flights to Iraq’s Kurd capital to stop ARBIL, Iraq―All foreign flights to and from the Iraqi Kurdish regional capital Arbil will be suspended from Friday evening on Baghdad’s orders, its airport director said, following a controversial independence referendum.

“All international flights without exception to and from Arbil will stop from 6:00 pm (1500 GMT) on Friday following a decision by the Iraqi cabinet and Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi,”

Talar Faiq Salih told AFP on Thursday.

Abadi ordered the halt to the flights serving airports in Iraqi Kurdistan in retaliation for the independence referendum held Monday in defiance of Baghdad, which delivered a resounding 92.73 “yes” vote.

Regional carriers, including Turkish Airlines, EgyptAir and Lebanon’s Middle East Airlines had already announced that they

would be suspending their flights serving Iraqi Kurdistan at Baghdad’s request.

The Arbil airport director said she deeply regretted the decision, which she said would hamper the campaign against the Islamic State group in Iraq and neighboring Syria, as well as the delivery of aid to those displaced by it.

“We have consulates, international staff, international companies, so it’s going to affect everyone. It’s not a

right decision,” Salih said.

“We have a big international community here, so this is not only against the Kurdish people.

“We also have a big number of refugees using this airport and we used to be a bridge between Syria and the UN to send humanitarian aid to those places.

“And we are hosting [USled] coalition forces here, so this airport is meant to be for everything.” AFP

The official results showed 92.73 percent of the voters backed statehood in Monday’s non-binding referendum, which Iraq’s central government has rejected as illegal.

The repercussions were swift, with airlines from Turkey as well as Egypt, Jordan and Lebanon saying they would halt flights to Iraqi Kurdistan this week until further notice at the request of Baghdad.

Attempts to isolate the Kurds came not just from Baghdad but also from Ankara, which has threatened a range of measures including cutting exports to the region.

While Iraqi Kurd leader Massud Barzani said the vote would not lead to an immediate declaration of independence but should instead open the door to negotiations, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi rejected the approach.

“The referendum must be annulled and dialogue initiated in the framework of the constitution. We will never hold talks based on the results of the referendum,” Abadi told lawmakers on Wednesday.

“We will impose Iraqi law in the entire region of Kurdistan under the constitution,” he said.

An overwhelming “yes” vote had been widely expected from the electorate

Playboy brand founder Hugh Hefner dies at 91 LOS ANGELES―Hugh Hefner, the silk pajamawearing founder of Playboy who helped steer nudity into the American mainstream, died Wednesday, the company announced. He was 91 years old.

Hefner, father of the trailblazing brand that encouraged a loosening of sexual strictures, died of natural causes in his Beverly Hills home―the famed Playboy Mansion―according to a statement from Playboy Enterprises.

The consummate playboy outlived both the sexual revolution he fought for but also some of the famous buxom pin-ups who graced his groundbreaking magazine’s centerfold.

A self-proclaimed master of marketing, Hefner’s skill

and Isaac Levitan, to its list of stolen artworks.

Kiev insists the collection―valued at some $1.3 million (1.1 million euros)― was illegally spirited away into Russian-controlled territory as Moscow took over and then annexed the Crimea peninsula in 2014.

The tussle over the artworks―owned by the Simferopol Art Museum in the Russian-held region―is just the tip of the iceberg in a furious dispute over artistic heritage and cultural identity raging between the two foes.

for self-promotion made it impossible to untangle his image from his empire.

“My father lived an exceptional and impactful life as a media and cultural pioneer and a leading voice behind some of the most significant social and cultural movements of our time in advocating free speech, civil rights and sexual freedom,” his son Cooper Hefner, Playboy Enterprise’s chief creative officer, said in a statement.

Playboy shattered taboos in the 1950s―a time when Hollywood sets featured separate beds for married couples―with bare-breasted pictures in a mass-market magazine whose inaugural centerfold featured a nude Marilyn Monroe.

AFP

When Moscow seized Crimea, an estimated 1.2 million museum pieces fell under Russian control, according to the Ukrainian culture ministry.

“These are incredible losses for Ukraine,” Mykola Yakovyna, the head of the Ukrainian chapter of the Blue Shield cultural protection group, told AFP. Exactly how the Aivazovsky painting and the 51 other works ended up under Russian control is a murky story shrouded in claim and counterclaim. AFP

of 4.58 million. Turnout was more than 72 percent.

Pursuing a long-cherished dream of statehood, the Kurds went ahead with the referendum in defiance of widespread objections, including from the United Nations and United States.

It has raised fears of unrest and the possibility of a military confrontation involving the Kurds, who are key allies in internationally backed offensives against Islamic State jihadists.

In a televised address late on Tuesday, Barzani had urged Abadi “not to close the door to dialogue because it is dialogue that will solve problems”.

“We assure the international community of our willingness to engage in dialogue with Baghdad,” he said, insisting the referendum was not meant “to delimit the border (between Kurdistan and Iraq), nor to impose it de facto.”

Baghdad has steadily pushed back against the vote.

Lawmakers on Wednesday passed a resolution calling on Abadi to “take all necessary measures to maintain Iraq’s unity” including by deploying security forces to disputed areas.

The resolution also called for the closure of border posts with Turkey and Iran that are outside central government control. AFP

Teenagers charged with murder

Ukraine, Russia fight over Crimean heritage SIMFEROPOL―The painting “Moonlit Night” by famed 19th century maritime artist Ivan Aivazovsky is a study in tranquility: two boats sailing calmly across a placid sea.

But now the masterpiece is caught up at the center of a storm between Ukraine and Russia as the violent feud between the two neighbors has spilt over into a cultural tug of war.

At Ukraine’s request, last month Interpol added the painting, and 51 others by artists such as Ivan Shishkin

to be serious.

Washington expelled two Cuban diplomats in May and Tillerson raised the possibility of closing the US mission.

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla warned against that move, saying: “It would be unfortunate if a matter of this nature is politicized.” AFP

NATIONAL DAY. This photo taken on September 27, 2017 shows Chinese workers removing the portrait of late communist leader Mao Zedong before replacing it with a new one on Tiananmen Rostrum in Beijing to celebrate the coming National Day and 19th Party Congress. AFP

KUALA LUMPUR― Two Malaysian teenagers were charged with murder Thursday in connection with a fire that killed 23 children and teachers at an Islamic school this month.

The pair, who cannot be named because they are aged under 18, were also charged with drug abuse along with four other suspects.

Police arrested seven suspects, all aged 12 to 18, after the blaze―the country’s worst for two decades―that gutted the school on September 14 in the capital Kuala Lumpur.

The seventh suspect was released for lack of evidence, state prosecutors said.

Twenty-one students, all boys aged six to 16, and two teachers died as the inferno engulfed the religious school’s dormitory just before dawn.

Malaysian police believe the fire was deliberately started using gas canisters after the suspects had a disagreement with the school’s pupils.

The building’s only exit was blocked by fire and the windows were barred with security grilles, preventing escape.

State prosecutor Othman Abdullah said the suspects will be back in court on November 28. AFP

Sports

A7

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2017 sports_mstandard@yahoo.com

Premier Volleyball League goes on tour V

OLLEY fans in the provinces get the chance to watch top-notch action from some of the country’s top players as the Premier Volleyball League holds two exhibition games at the People’s Gym in Tuguegarao on Oct. 7.

Pocari Sweat, the three-time PVL champion, will play Creamline, to be led by former Ateneo star setter Jia Morado, at 5:30 p.m. while San Sebastian, headed by former league MVP Grethcel Soltones, will clash with BanKo-Perlas at 3:30 p.m.

The country’s premier volley league is holding exhibition matches outside the National

Capital Region in its continuing effort to bring the game closer to the fans in the provinces.

“We just want to go straight to our fans in the provinces and show our appreciation to them for supporting the PVL through the years,” said Sports Vision president Ricky Palou.

The project is held in coopera-

St. Clare-Caloocan nails 1st berth in Naascu semis DEFENDING champion St. Clare College-Caloocan made short work of Enderun College, 95-63, to clinch the first semis berth in the NAASCU Season 17 men’s basketball tournament at the San Andres Sports Complex in Malate.

Junjie Hallare, Aris Dionisio and Irven Palencia led another balanced scoring attack by the Saints, who need only one big scoring blast in the second quarter to turn a close contest into a rout and advance to the best-ofthree semis.

But St. Clare will have to wait for its semifinal opponent.

Philippine Christian University clobbered Colegio de San Lorenzo, 75-58, to arrange a one-game playoff for a semis berth.

Hallare topscored with 20 points on a high 8-of-10 shooting in less than 24 minutes of action for the Saints of NAASCU president Dr. Ermesto Jay Adalem and coach Jino Manansala.

Dionisio added 17 points, nine rebounds and four steals and Palencia contributed 13 points and nine assists for St. Clare,

which outscored Enderun, 27-10 in the second period en route to a lopsided victory.

Serge Wabo Captue finished with 23 points and 12 rebounds and John Vidal added 12 points for the Enderun, which advanced to the quarterfinals with an 8581 win over Rizal Technological University last Tuesday.

St. Clare was dominant with more rebounds (51-33), assists (2110) and steals (13-8).

The Saints also made 31-of57 from the floor for 54 percent compared to the Titans’ 17-of42 or 40 percent.

The Dolphins leaned on Mike Ayonayon, Yves Sazon and Von Tambeling to frustrate the Griffins and keep their semis hopes alive.

Ayonayon fired 24 points, Sazon added 23 and Tambeling had 17 for the Elvis Tolentino-mentored Dolphins, who beat the Griffins for the first time since losing three straight games to the same team in the 2017 MBL Open.

Import Soulemane Chabi Yo led CdSL with 16 points and 16 rebounds.

Mindanao Basketball League set in October FORMER professional players will suit up for eight teams from different provinces in the first Mindanao Basketball League Fiesta Pilar Cup starting on Oct. 2 at the Golden Boys’ Gym in Zamboanga City.

General Santos Kings will be bannered by former PBA 7-footer EJ Feihl, former Kia player Rene Pacquiao and Louie Medalla, while Roxas Zanorte of Mayor Jan Vallacer will be led by former Rain or Shine guard Hercules Tangkay.

The other teams are the Pagadian Explorers of Rene Pamaran, Ayala, Sindangan of Mayor Insik Sy, ZC Omars, Zamboanga Mudz and Basilan BRT of Vice Mayor Julz Hataman.

Former University of the East Gino Jumaoas and former Letran player Jonathan Belorio will suit up for ZC Omars, while former Kia guard Jonathan Pareno will

play for Zamboanga Mudz.

“This is the first time to have a league in Mindanao. Our region has produced a lot of players like Mark Barroca, PJ Simon, RR Garcia and Mac Belo. That’s why we are forming this League to produce more talents in Mindanao. I believe the fans will love it,” said league commissioner Jayson Cariaga.

One import per team is allowed to boost the teams.

The purpose of this league is to promote the sports to the youth and fight drug addiction.

The tournament is sponsored by LM Metro Hotel, HELL Energy Drink, RF Mariano, OSHIS Restaurant, EMedia, Rhamifm, ZC Kings Manpower, Senator Manny Pacquiao, Councilor Lilibeth Nuno, Lilia Nuno, Councilor Boday Cabato, Councilor Teody Arquiza and Councilor Pinpin Pareja.

La Salle, UST tablenetters remain unbeaten in UAAP DEFENDING champion De La Salle and University of Santo Tomas stayed unbeaten in six women’s contests heading into their Finals rematch yesterday the UAAP table tennis tournament at the UP CHK Gym. The four-peat seeking Lady Archers blanked University of the East and Ateneo via identical 3-0 scores to keep their spotless record.

The Tigresses, last year’s runner-up, overcame the Lady Eagles, 3-2, in the afternoon session after a 3-0 blanking of Adamson University in the morning.

De La Salle and UST vie for the first round sweep at 8 a.m. tomorrow at the same Diliman venue.

In the men’s division, titleholder UST and NU remained in joint first place at 5-1.

The Growling Tigers survived a surprising Falcons side, 3-2, before returning in the afternoon session with a 3-0 shut out of the Blue Eagles to stretch their winning run to five.

The Bulldogs tripped Far Eastern University, 00-00-00-00-00-00 P0.0 M+ 3-1, and University of the Philippines, 3-2, for their fourth straight win.

00-00-00-00-00-00 P0.0 M+ Adamson University, seventh placers last season, DIGITS 00-00-00-00-00-00 rose at 4-2 after bouncing back with a 3-1 win over the Red Warriors DIGITS 00-00-00 After the end of the first round at 8 a.m., the 1 p.m. afternoon matches will comEZ2 00-00 mence second round action.

LOTTO RESULTS

6/49 6/42 6 3 2

Games tomorrow (Saturday)

8 a.m. – St. Benilde vs UST (men’s) 10 a.m. – Ateneo vs National U (men’s) 1 p.m. – Arellano vs UP (women’s) 4 p.m. – St. Benilde vs TIP (women’s) 6:30 p.m. – National U vs Ateneo (women’s)

tion with the Beach Volleyball Republic, headed by one of its founders Charo Soriano, and organized by Sports Vision with Mikasa and Asics as backers.

The PVL on Tour is also scheduled to hold games in Bacolod City on Oct, 17 and Iloilo on Oct. 18 with Batangas also being eyed as one of future venues.

Meanwhile, National U and

Ateneo brace for a key match-up tomorrow (Saturday) as they dispute the first semifinal berth in Group A of the PVL Collegiate Conferece at the Filoil Flying V Center in San Juan.

The Bulldogs swept their first four games but still need to hurdle the Lady Eagles in their 6:30 p.m. due to formalize their stint in the Final Four.

With a 3-1 card, Ateneo could clinch the top berth with a victory although Far Eastern U is also eyeing to finish with a 4-1 slate with a win over ousted Lyceum at the close of the single round elims on Monday.

SISTER ACT. Up-and-coming golfers Mika Arroyo (left) and younger sister Monique hold their respective trophies after claiming the individual crown and runner-up title, respectively, in the Friendship Division of the recent PAL Ladies Inter-Club Championship at the Cebu Golf and Country Club in Cebu City. Their triumph catapulted Team Wack-Wack to the team championship.

Sports

Riera U. Mallari, Editor Reuel Vidal, Assistant Editor sports@thestandard.com.ph sports_mstandard@yahoo.com

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FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2017

Mondilla hikes lead to 3 shots as golf rivals falter LIPA City, Batangas— Clyde Mondilla put on a strong finishing kick to card a 69 and widen his lead to three as his rivals floundered at the finish in the third round of the ICTSI Players Championship at the Summit Point Golf Club yesterday.

Dino Villanueva pressed his bid early with three birdies in the first seven holes but tumbled with a backside 41 and a 75 while Jay Bayron sizzled in the heat with a 67 but blew his hot charge with a last-hole bogey.

With Mondilla birdying two of the last five holes, including the tough par-4 18th, the Del Monte ace capped an eagle-spiked 3534 card and moved three shots clear off Bayron at 12-under 204 with 18 holes to play in the P3 million event sponsored by ICTSI. “I’m very confident coming off a win (at ICTSI Riviera),” said Mondilla, who took a step closer to completing a grand coronation as this year’s Philippine Golf Tour Order of Merit champion with a victory here.

“But I have to play solid tomorrow (today) and watch out for Jay and Guido, who might sneak in and spoil my bid,” added Mondilla, who eagled the par-5 No. 3 from eight feet on a solid 7-iron second shot from 206 yards.

From the looks of things, Bayron, winner here in 2015, could foil Mondilla’s crack at the top P550,000 purse in the 72-hole championship organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc. with the veteran Davaoeño shotmaker hoping to duplicate or better his third round output that pulled him to second at 207 to get a shot at the crown.

Muguruza reaches net quarterfinals WUHAN—World number one Garbine Muguruza powered her way into the quarterfinals at the Wuhan Open on Wednesday, defeating Poland’s Magda Linette 6-2, 1-6, 6-4 to set up a mouth-watering clash with Jelena Ostapenko.

The Spaniard dominated the first set, but performed meekly in the second at a hot and humid tournament that has seen all but three seeds crash out.

The 23-year-old number one seed suffered with a poor forehand in the third set but broke her opponent at 4-5 to clinch the thirdround tie.

“Today I had a very tough match and had to go out there and fight a lot. The second set didn’t go my way at all,” she told a post-match press conference.

But she said she was “looking forward” to her quarter-final clash with Ostapenko, the 2017 French Open winner, after the Latvian overpowered Monica Puig of Puerto Rico 6-2, 3-6, 6-3.

Ostapenko has now won 20 of her last 23 three-set matches, according to the WTA. “I like to play these matches where the player is playing the best (that they can),” Muguruza added.

“It’s going to be a good quarter final.” AFP

Clyde Mondilla has set his sights on the TPC crown.

Cards stun Blazers, end 12-game slide

By Peter Atencio

T

HE Mapua University Cardinals drew double-digit outputs from five veterans to put away the College of St. Benilde Blazers, 79-69, yesterday at The Arena in San Juan.

Cardinals’ coach Atoy Co was in a joyful mood after they picked up their first win that ended a 12game losing streak in the 93rd National Collegiate Athletic Association men’s basketball tournament.

Laurenz Victoria led his teammates with 19 points and four rebounds as the Cardinals went on to claim their second triumph in 14 outings.

“Sabi ko sa kanila, laban lang tayo,” said Co after he

utilized only nine players throughout the game.

Victoria’s hook and driving shot in the last 1:25 came after Christian Bunag’s layup allowed Mapua to tie the match, 69-all.

From there, the Cardinals made an effort to deny the Blazers eight good scoring chances.

From the four-point lead, they got off Victoria’s baskets, the Cardinals went on to enjoy a 10-point spread in

the final minute.

Denniel Aguirre had 15 for the Cardinals, while JP Nieles, Cedric Pelayo and Leo Gabo added 11 each.

In the junior action, the defending champion Malayan Red Robins clamped down on scoring ace Joel Cagulangan in the final period as they beat the La Salle Greenhills Greenies, 71-62.

Carl Lacap showed the way with 14 points for the Red Robins, who assured themselves of the no. 1 seeding in the Final Four with their 12-2 card.

Joaqui Garcia, who struggled with an injured knee in the third, returned just in time to score a timely triple in the last 4:34.

Games Today (The Arena in San Juan) 8 a.m. UPHSD vs JRU (jrs) 10 a.m. EAC vs Letran (jrs) 12 noon UPHSD vs JRU (srs) 2 p.m. EAC vs Letran (srs) 4 p.m. LPU vs SSC (srs) 6 p.m. LPU vs SSC (jrs)

Garcia’s trey allowed the Red Robins to move out of reach, 64-60.

“Nagawa na namin ang gusto. Alam namin na ‘di namin masi-zero si Cagulangan. At least man lang, nahirapan at ‘di naka-contribute iyung iba,” said Red Robins’ coach Randy Alcantara.

The Greenies, with Cagulangan making 15 and Joshua Marcos hitting 14, are in second, assured of the no. 2 seeding in the Final Four.

Meanwhile, College of St. Benilde and San Beda completed an 11-game sweep to crown themselves champions of the men’s and women’s divisions, respectively, of the 93rd NCAA table tennis tournament at the Harrison Plaza Activity Center in Manila.

Spearheaded by eventual tournament MVP Ryan Rodney Jacolo, the Blazers defeated everyone who stood on their way and then completed the title sweep by beating the Letran Knights to register their fourth straight crown.

Jacolo teamed up with Serknight Benoy, Joshua Padilla and James Sy, who were coached by Rudolph Palermo, to accomplish the feat.

Del Rosario: PH bets exceeded expectations ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan― Chef de mission Monsour Del Rosario hardly expected a deluge of medals in the 5th Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games.

So it really came as a big surprise when Filipino athletes produced far more than what Del Rosario had asked for. ``We succeeded and exceeded the country’s expectations in the AIMAG,’’ said Del Rosario, the Makati City congressman who also sits as secretary general of the Philippine Taekwondo Association.

The Philippines ended its 12-day stint with two gold, 14 silver and 14 bronze medals in the biggest continental sportsfest next to the quadrennial Asian Games.

It overshadowed the one-gold, two-bronze performance of Filipino athletes in the previous AIMAG held in 2013 Incheon, South Korea. ``We didn’t make any bold projections and just believed that our

athletes can accomplish it,’’ said Del Rosario, who joined hands with karatedo secretary general and deputy chef de mission Raymund Lee Reyes in taking care of the 116 Filipino athletes who participated in 17 sports.

Jiu-jitsu grapplers Margarita Ochoa and Annie Ramirez captured the two golds worth P2 million each from the Philippine Sports Commission as provided for by Republic Act 10699 or the amended Sports Incentives Act. Silver medalists led by Olympian Hidilyn Diaz, trackster Eric Cray, muay fighter Phillip Delarmino, cue aces Chezka Centeno, Rubilen Amit, bowler Kenneth Chua and the dancesport tandem of German Enriquez and Danella Publico will earn P1 million each from the government.

The 62-nation Games, which included the Oceania region headed by Australia and New

Chef de mission Monsour del Rosario with bowling Hall of Famer Paeng Nepomuceno and deputy chef de mission Raymund Lee Reyes (extreme right).

Zealand, ended with a lavish night at the 35,000-seater Ashgaclosing ceremony late Wednesday bat Olympic Stadium.

Woods relishes Presidents Cup role JERSEY CITY—Tiger Woods, still battling back from back surgery in April, said Wednesday he has “no idea what my future holds” even as he strives for a return to competitive golf.

The 14-time major champion admitted that earlier this year he wasn’t even sure he’d be able to fulfil his role as a captain’s assistant on the US team at this week’s Presidents Cup. “I didn’t know if I was going to be able to be here, because I couldn’t ride in a cart. The bouncing hurt too much,” said 41-year-old Woods, who fielded numerous questions about his rehab and his future at a press conference of the assistant captains for the match play showdown between the United States and an International team.

“That’s all gone now, which is fantastic,” added Woods, who said last week his doctors had cleared him to begin swinging a cub again.

But it’s still a far cry from preparing for a return to competition—something Woods said is “definitely” far from certain.

“First things first,” Woods said. “Get my health organized, make sure the pain goes away.

Then (I’m) just waiting for what my surgeon says.

“I’m still training, I’m getting stronger. But I certainly don’t have my golf muscles trained because obviously I’m not doing anything golf related.”

Woods last played in a tournament at the Dubai Desert Classic in January —withdrawing with back spasms. AFP

Buncio shoots for superbikes’ triumph

Jacq Buncio cruises to victory.

SEV EN TEEN-Y EA ROLD Jacq Buncio made history as the youngest and first female motorcycle circuit racer to win the overall championship of the Pirrelli Lightweight Category last year.

Can “Lady Jacq” repeat history this time around?

Buncio shoots for another stunning achievement in the Heavyweight B Category the 2017 Pirelli Philippine Superbike Championships on Sunday at the Clark International Speedway The youngest sister of the late superbikes’ great Maico Buncio cur-

rently leads the Heavyweight B category (199 points), despite using a 600cc Yamaha R-6 bike in the face of opposition dominated by numerous 1000cc-and-above displacement machines ridden by older, male opponents at that.

Using the same 600cc bike, the Mandaluyong born and UST Angelicum College student placed second during the 5th leg of the 2017 Pirrelli Superbikes at the Batangas Racing Circuit last Sept. 4.

Buncio tried hard to race with the bigger bikes, but her “smaller R-6” proved no match to

the 1000cc-andabove machines.

Still, Buncio placed second in the BRC leg, a big achievement in itself for who fans christened as “the Fastest Buncio Lady on Two Wheels.”

On Sunday, Buncio will try to win it all with the aid of primary backer YRS Motorcycle Modification Inc., owned by her father Yoyong Buncio, who is preparing her race bike to make sure no mechanical issues will happen in the coming final championship race.

“We are making sure Jacq is armed with a capable racing machine on Sunday,” said the elder Buncio. “Her bike may be smaller, but it’s her big fighting heart that will carry her through.”

Buncio’s team is heavily supported by Total Oil Philippines, HiPerf and Kojie San Philippines. Other sponsors include Amaron Batteries, SSS Chain, Motoworld, Empire Boxing, Hollow Rock and Monster Energy Drink.

Market slides; EDC advances

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Business

NGCP says reserves in Luzon g rid thin again

business@manilastandard.net extrastory2000@gmail.com

B1

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2017

ISUZU PH ANNIVERSARY.

Isuzu Philippines Corp. expects sales to reach more than 30,000 units this year, as the Japanese company marks its 20th year in the country.

Shown during the anniversary celebration at World Trade Center in Pasay City are (from second left) Mitsubishi Corp. executive vice president Kazushi Okawa, Isuzu Philippines Corp. president Hajime Koso, Isuzu Motors Limited president for operations Masanori Katayama, Ayala Corp. president and chief operating officer Fernando Zobel de Ayala and House of Investment chair Helen Dee. Norman Cruz

By Alena Mae S. Flores GRID operator National Grid Corp. of the Philippines declared a ‘yellow alert’ in the Luzon grid for a few hours Thursday amid thin reserves brought about by the outage of six power plants.

Yellow alert means that power reserves fall below the capacity of the largest synchronized unit of the grid which in Luzon is the 647-megawatt Sual power plant. This situation could result in blackouts if the system would not be very quick to respond.

Energy Undersecretary Felix William Fuentebella told reporters several power plants went on planned and unplanned outages Thursday, while some plants were derated, or their generating capacities were reduced.

Fuentebella said ‘yellow alert’ covered two hours. “It’s basically thinning of reserves by about 150 MW from expected 624 MW required,” he said.

Fuentebella said the Energy Department coordinated with retailer Manila Electric Co. to put in place the interruptible load program, where select participants could deload from the grid and run their own generating sets.

“We also have in place the ILP under Meralco, also covering 150 MW. The deficit is only on the reserves, not on the supply. A yellow alert is not a deficit in supply. It is only a signal that reserves are getting to be smaller. The red alert is the one that should be alarming,” he said.

Among the plants that went on unplanned outages were Ilijan B (600 MW), Limay 7 (60 MW), Makban 5 (55 MW) and Sual 2 (647 MW). Plants that were on planned outages were Kalayaan 3 and 4 (360 MW) and Lorenzo 1 (265 MW).

NGCP raised the yellow alert from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. as available capacity for Luzon reached 10,473 MW while demand hit 9,676 MW.

Ray S. Eñano, Editor Roderick T. dela Cruz, Assistant Editor

Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Wednesday, September 20, 2017

F OREIGN E XCHANGE R ATE Currency Unit US Dollar Peso United States Dollar

1.000000

50.9690

Japan

Yen

0.008864

0.4518

UK

Pound

1.339000

68.2475

Hong Kong

Dollar

0.128052

6.5267

Switzerland

Franc

1.028912

52.4426

Canada

Dollar

0.801796

40.8667

Singapore

Dollar

0.735673

37.4965

Australia

Dollar

0.784800

40.0005

Bahrain

Dinar

2.651043

135.1210

Saudi Arabia Rial

0.266667

13.5918

0.732977

Brunei

Dollar

Indonesia

Rupiah 0.000074

Thailand

Baht

UAE

Dirham 0.272287

13.8782

Euro

Euro

1.174600

59.8682

Korea

Won

0.000874

0.0445

China

Yuan

0.150546

7.6732

India

Rupee

0.015218

Malaysia

Ringgit 0.236967

0.030030

37.3591 0.0038 1.5306

0.7756 12.0780

New Zealand Dollar

0.719900

36.6926

Taiwan

0.033000

1.6820

Dollar

Source: PDS Bridge

PAL open to debt compromise

By Darwin G. Amojelar

P

HILIPPINE Airlines said Thursday it is open to a compromise agreement to settle unpaid navigational fees to the government.

“We look forward to meeting the negotiating panel and we are ready to submit a compromise agreement to settle this issue once and for all,” the flag carrier said in a statement.

The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines sent letters to PAL in August 2016 to demand payment for unpaid navigational

charges in the amount of P6.63 billion.

Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade on Wednesday threatened to file a law suit against PAL if the airline failed to settle its unpaid navigational fees.

He also said the government denied the request of PAL to pay its arrears in seven years.

“Thus, final demand for full payment of all unpaid charges has been sent to PAL, preparatory to the filing of appropriate legal action in order to protect the interest of government,” Tugade said.

President Rodrigo Duterte, on his part, threatened to shut down the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 2, which is being used as PAL’s hub, if the airline would not pay its liabilities within 10 days.

PAL said the issue on alleged unpaid navigational charges was complex and the airline had been trying to thresh out the issue with the government for years.

“In fact, the same legal issues were the subject of a court case between PAL and the MIAA [Manila International Airport Authority] years back where the court ruled in favor of PAL,” the airline said.

PAL said despite the favorable court’s ruling, it opted to settle amicably with MIAA as a manifestation of its full support to the government.

“In a similar vein, PAL has earlier manifested its willingness to amicably settle with the CAAP as a manifestation of its continued support for the authority. Communications have been open between the

parties as regards this matter. For the past months, both CAAP and PAL have been working together to validate these claims in their mutual and collaborative effort to settle this obligation,” the airline led by tycoon Lucio Tan said.

PAL said it had fully cooperated and would continue to cooperate with any and all agencies to resolve the issue.

PAL said CAAP created an inter-agency panel of negotiators for the proposed settlement via CAAP Authority Order 149-17.

“PAL formally submitted its offer to CAAP which offer is more than the amount covered by the CAAP supporting invoices received by PAL. To date, however, PAL has not received any official response from CAAP on its offer,” PAL said.

Megaworld eyes Bonifacio South

By Jenniffer B. Austria MEGAWORLD Corp., one the biggest landlords in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig said it will study plans to participate in the proposed Swiss Challenge for the 33.1-hectare Bonifacio South Pointe being auctioned by state-run Bases Conversion Development Authority.

Megaworld senior vice president Kevin Tan said the company was very much interested in taking a look at the project located near McKinley West of Megaworld.

“We are still studying if we are going to participate in the Swiss Challenge. But of course the property is quite strategic. It is beside

IN BRIEF Rapid loan growth poses risks

DEBT watcher Fitch Ratings said Thursday the recent moves of Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas to enhance oversight of property lending and project finance may help detect risks that could arise from sustained rapid loan growth.

“Nevertheless, prudential standards have not been tightened under the new measures and the regulator still faces the challenge of discerning unhealthy risk-taking from productive lending that supports economic growth,” Fitch said in a report Thursday.

“Sustained rapid loan growth could create risks to the banking sector and the broader economy if left unchecked,” it said.

The new BSP ruling targets two sectors where vulnerabilities could form amid strong loan growth. These are real estate and project finance. Real-estate loans, which account for just over 20 percent of total bank lending, have risen 21 percent on average over the last four years.

Meanwhile, project finance is likely to take off as the Duterte administration pushes ahead with its infrastructure investment drive under the ambitious “Build, Build, Build” program. Julito G. Rada

Taiwan firm eyes plastic plant

TAIWANESE company Yeng Hsingh Co. Ltd. said Thursday it will put up a thermoplastic reflective roadmarking materials plant in the Philipines.

Yeng Hsingh vice general manager Remi Hasenohr said the company planned to set up operation in an Asean country to take advantage of the Common Effective Preferential Tariff Scheme.

“After comparing with several countries, we found the Philippines as a more attractive location. The longterm consistency of economic policies by Peza [Philippine Economic Zone Authority] provides a one-stop window for investors,” said Hasenohr.

Yeng Hsingh was among the 10 companies that were part of a Taiwanese trade mission that held a networking session in Manila on Sept. 27.

Yeng Hsingh plans to establish a $600,000 production facility at First Philippine Industrial Park in Sto. Tomas, Batangas. Commercial operations are expected to start in the first quarter of 2018, with an initial workforce of 10 employees.

our McKinley West project,” Tan said.

Tan said Megaworld would wait for the final terms of the bidding before making a decision.

Aside from the 34-hectare McKinley West, Megaworld also owns several properties in Fort Bonifacio, including the 16-hectare Uptown Bonifacio, the 50-hectare McKinely Hill and the five-hectare Forbes Town.

After eight years, the government reportedly plans to conduct a Swiss Challenge for Bonifacio South Pointe. In 2009, SM Land, which is now under SM Prime Holdings Inc., made an unsolicited proposal with BCDA to develop the property.

Yeng Hsingh exported about 4,000 tons of thermoplastic markings to the Philippines in 2015 and 4,800 tons in 2016.

The Philippine plant will be its first plant in Asia outside China, where Yeng Hsingh has a small operation. Othel V. Campos

Isuzu bullish on 2017 sales

ISUZU Philippines Corp. revised its vehicle sales forecast this year to more than 30,000 units, up from 27,361 units it delivered in 2016, on strong demand for Isuzu trucks and SUVs. Isuzu Philippines president Hajime Koso said the company was very optimistic about the 2017 sales performance, as the appetite to own a vehicle had never been this strong in the Philippines.

“This year, we have increased our target to more than 30,000 unit sales, or three times our volume five years ago.

Our mu-X model sold the highest number of units here in the Philippines compared to any other country in the world,” Koso said Wednesday night during the company’s 20th anniversary celebration in Manila.

He said the sales target was conservative, coming from the 21.2-percent growth in sales in 2016.

Isuzu trucks held the top position in total truck sales in the country for 17 consecutive years. In 2016, Isuzu truck sales reached more than 6,000 units. Othel V. Campos

PH, Singapore seek energy deal

THE Philippines and Singapore are looking at strengthening their bilateral agreement to include cooperation on electric vehicles, liquefied natural gas and renewable energy.

“We are looking at a lot of cooperation with Singapore, on waste to energy, solar, on top of water and many others,” Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi said.

Energy Undersecretary Felix William Fuentebella said Cusi met with Singapore Trade and Industry Minister S. Iswaran on the possible areas of cooperation.

“We had bilateral meeting with Singapore. We talked about approaches on e-vehicles, steps towards LNG, more collaboration that we will make on RE, specifically on biomass, floating solar pv and battery,” Fuentebella said.

Fuentebella said the discussions revolved around the best approach on e-vehicles “considering that we have for example more than 25 percent of our electricity is coming from coal.”

He said Singapore was looking at a technology-neutral approach as far as e-vehicle was concerned as e-vehicle leader Tesla was very much interested in going to the Singapore market. “The Philippines is also pushing for e-vehicles especially for e-jeepney,” Fuentebella said. Alena Mae S. Flores

Busan Rail to deliver more trains for MRT 3

By Darwin G. Amojelar BUSAN Universal Rail

BEST MANAGED FUND. First Metro Asset Management Inc., the asset management subsidiary of First Metro Investment Corp., the investment banking arm of the Metrobank Group, receives the Best Managed Fund of the Year award for its Save & Learn Fixed Income Fund from the Chartered Financial Analyst Society of the Philippines Inc. Shown during the awarding ceremony at the 3rd Philippine Junior Finance and Investment Summit are Fami assistant vice president and portfolio manager John Robert Melvin Maniego (right) and CFA Society Philippines president Cristina Arceo.

IS threat cools outsourcing boom in PH PROLONGED fighting

by Filipino militants supporting the Islamic State group has put the brakes on the Philippines’ $10-billion outsourcing industry, one of its key growth drivers, industry leaders said Wednesday.

More than 900 people have been killed in the city of Marawi, where pro-IS militants have defied a months-long USbacked military campaign to flush them out, while the southern third of the country has been placed under martial law to contain the violence.

Although the lucrative outsourcing industry is largely based in the northern and central regions, the bloody conflict has unnerved many potential in-

vestors, said officials of the Information Technology and Business Process Association of the Philippines.

“In the early part of the year, we had a lot of ‘waitand-see’ attitude for the most part,” said IBPAP president Rey Untal.

Approved investments in the information technology services sector, which includes the outsourcing industry, fell 31.3 percent from a year earlier in the three months to June, government data show.

“There is an element of [wait and see] still,” Untal told reporters, though there were now signs that new players were coming in.

The outsourcing industry includes call centers and offices that carry out such functions for overseas

companies like accounting, medical and legal transcription, software design, animation and even architecture.

It has become a major pillar of growth of the Philippine economy, bringing in $23 billion in revenues last year and employing 1.15 million people according to industry officials.

When the Marawi violence broke out in May, the industry was bracing for the fallout of the protectionist threats issued by US President Donald Trump, who has vowed to bring back jobs outsourced abroad, Untal said.

“Then suddenly we had to deal with that [Marawi] also. In every conversation I had, that figured in,” said Untal. AFP

Inc., the maintenance provider of Metro Rail Transit Line 3, said Thursday it will deliver more serviceable trains ahead of the holiday season.

“The holiday season swiftly approaches now.

We would like to focus more on delivering serviceable trains for use by the riding public. And with this in mind, we are seeking the cooperation of MRT and DOTr officials so we could pursue our common endeavor of delivering the necessary service to the riding public,” BURI legal counsel Charles Mercado said in a statement.

MRT-3 continues to meet key performance index at 18 trains and 20 trains during peak hours, higher than the 13 trains when it took over in January 2016, according to Mercado.

Mercado said the DOTrMRT-3 management had agreed to finally implement BURI’s previous recommendation for MRT trains to run at lower speed at certain sections of the line due to poor track condition.

The company said that last month and upon its own request, the MRT management conducted a series of joint train rides and inspections to confirm BURI’s repeated reports that train glitches were being caused by severe vibrations brought onto the MRT coaches by the decrepit condition of the rails.

“In BURI’s letters to DOTr-MRT-3 on the poor rail condition, BURI has been telling DOTr to immediately implement the systematic total rail replacement, which, as early as November 2015, DOTr had committed to implement by mid-2016. It is already 2017, but no such project has commenced,” Mercado said.

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Business

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2017 extrastory2000@gmail.com

Market slides; EDC advances

S

TOCKS fell Thursday, as investors in Asia began to the United States after Don- fairer taxes and bigger pay checks Reserve boss Janet Yellen that she was in favor of further hikes. to assess the regional implications of US President ald Trump unveiled his market- for American families”.

“In the space of two days we’ve Trump’s promise to reduce taxes, friendly tax cut plans.

Donald Trump’s tax-cut plan.

However, regional equities ramp up infrastructure spending now had confirmation Janet Yel-

The Philippine Stock Exchange index, the 30-company benchmark, dropped 65 points, or 0.8 percent, to close at 8,156.04, as five of the six major sectors declined.

The heavier index, representing all shares, also slid 32 points, or 0.7 percent, to settle at 4,818.25, on a value turnover of P10.6 billion. Losers outnumbered gainers, 141 to 70, while 38 issues were unchanged.

Four of the 20 most active stocks ended in the green, led by renewable power company Energy Development Corp. which climbed 4.1 percent to P5.64 and gaming company Bloomberry

Resorts Corp. which gained 3.3 percent to P10.76. BDO Unibank Inc., the largest lender, rose 0.8 percent to P130.70, while retailer Puregold Price Club Inc. went up 0.6 percent to P52.

Meanwhile, Australian and Japanese bonds joined a global sell-off and Treasury yields reached the highest levels in two months as investors raised their expectations for the Federal Reserve to raise rates one more time this year despite some of Chair Janet Yellen’s colleagues continuing to push back at her contention more hikes are on the way.

The dollar extended its gains in Asia as focus turned back

and slash red tape helped drive a global market rally in the months after his November election win.

But those gains fizzled as his legislative agenda suffered a series of blows and his White House has become embroiled in a host of crises.

The bill is expected to face a tough passage through Congress, with both sides of the aisle likely to question its affordability, while it received a mixed review from economists, and business and union leaders.

Still, the unveiling sparked a rally in the dollar as dealers bet such tax cuts would fuel inflation.

The unit was already healthy following an indication from Federal

struggled to track Wall Street higher despite a broad move back to riskier assets—as North Korea went on the backburner—with Treasury yields rising and safehaven gold prices slipping.

After months of waiting, Trump released a tax reform blueprint that would slash corporate rates, provide relief for firms that repatriate cash from overseas and reduce the number of tax brackets from seven to three.

The tycoon described it as “the largest tax cut, essentially, in the history of our country”, while House Speaker Paul Ryan said it was “a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that is all about more jobs,

len is going to keep hiking rates and President Trump’s ‘Gang of 6’ have delivered a tax plan that might get through,” said Greg McKenna, chief market strategist at AxiTrader.

The dollar was back above 113 yen in Asia, having briefly broken the level for the first time since July on Wednesday. With AFP, Bloomberg We are reprinting the Sept. 27, 2017 stock market table for today’s issue, as the Sept. 28 data from the Philippine Stock Exchange were not yet available as of print time.

MANILA STANDARD BUSINESS DAILY STOCKS REVIEW WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2017

NAME

OPEN

VALUE

NET FOREIGN BUYING/(SELLING), PHP

FINANCIALS 4.7 40,000 59.7 17,740 100.4 2,456,530 4.1 1,000 129.7 3,131,750 2.8 13,443,000 35.4 32,900 16.08 50,600 31.7 824,700 8.54 500 0.65 50,000 1.74 62,000 943 10 0.69 2,081,000 87.95 2,036,430 0.87 516,000 13.06 50,300 59.8 85,880 240 5,910 120 50 88 9,790 48.8 28,200 249.6 788,940 1,815 135 86.65 132,710 1.28 146,000

189,440 1,050,485 246,333,101 4,100 405,487,061 38,132,760 1,165,495 813,630 26,042,400 4,270 32,570 103,690 9,430 1,439,400 176,276,705 442,590 656,780 5,135,817 1,418,404 5,603 861,066 1,385,971 196,852,032 245,275 11,495,895.50 185,000

144,517 -86,072,489 -76,782,044 -4,200,780 -230,095 9,900,830 -72,410,305 -4,890,431.50 1,360,796 -861,066 -817,633 872,748 -6,273,076.50 -

INDUSTRIAL 42.75 3,012,700 9.48 2,104,000 0.8 1,688,000 1.38 556,000 20 187,400 0.228 3,120,000 5.21 7,514,500 16.84 1,385,800 165.2 200 38.45 581,300 21.2 9,100 64 8,460 75.5 800 1.92 104,000 6.4 109,300 11.32 40,500 10.16 3,035,600 15 2,356,600 13.5 473,100 7.2 197,700 5.42 317,533,000 18.3 2,578,400 66.05 135,330 14.36 39,400 12.4 19,800 18.8 1,723,500 1.79 363,000 248.8 887,090 4.95 756,000 3.31 41,000 23.35 200 30.4 1,114,400 19.34 77,700 15.92 1,938,800 280 509,310 0.229 190,000 13 187,200 2.98 50,000 6.74 93,800 10.2 2,024,600 6.49 80,000 9.9 1,000 1.79 732,000 12.3 934,300 68.25 218,430 6.79 37,300 309.2 9,220 4.35 15,000 4.44 1,000 2.72 1,224,000 13 1,177,600 4.5 484,000 0.144 190,000 1.33 1,188,000 153 941,600 2.18 5,784,000 0.98 50,000

127,084,185 19,919,876 1,326,750 768,240 3,701,391 691,750 39,828,587 23,360,716 33,040 21,640,590 192,920 542,640 60,710 199,850 704,684 460,310 30,721,882 35,404,282 6,428,922 1,414,740 1,638,435,190 47,064,574 8,956,902.50 551,544 245,784 32,631,940 644,720 217,391,980 3,737,100 134,220 4,670 34,012,755 1,499,956 30,983,330 141,320,878 43,360 2,471,748 149,030 637,618 20,632,384 501,553 9,900 1,289,800 11,473,808 14,896,245 251,570 2,853,394 65,250 4,440 3,316,720 15,442,808 2,178,130 27,280 1,535,110 142,031,515 12,624,670 49,000

14,212,105 22,912 27,600 2,220 -6,862,058 -2,935,246 4,316,155 444,000 414,276 20,897,028 -1,833,084 -314,067 114,919,550 -7,901,496 -2,172,695 -4,633,914 92,540 -57,392,362 -15,825,010 353,366 -25,497,098 52,239,032 665 -11,380,030.00 559,600 -19,396 4,403,924.50 47,250 314,692 -10,089,376 2,880 -89,200 -65,991,582 -5,844,730 -

87,200 167,170,396 174,471,560 2,327,400 436,681 550,100 3,450 247,777,885 11,649,458 214,396,526 529,846 55,000 148,300 126,246,600 771,798 163,162,397.50 1,002 25,280 542 368,480 4,901,856 23,141,962 187,643,971 129,650 550,800 693,280 336,850 23,726,561.50 60,030 604,245,485 426,920 3,168,994 16,500 179,320

-45,102,877.50 -90,047,726.00 -26,331,075 1,002,960 -32,359,376 -10,043,625 -464,802 -57,105,607.50 -1,648,540 -11,646,982 -99,182,775 -6,924,981 -88,936,425 16,940 -494,720 -

HIGH

LOW

CLOSE

AG FINANCE 4.77 ASIA UNITED 59.7 BANK PH ISLANDS 101.4 BDO LEASING 4.1 BDO UNIBANK 129.5 BRIGHT KINDLE 2.52 CHINABANK 35.4 COL FINANCIAL 15.9 EAST WEST BANK 31.55 FILIPINO FUND 8.54 FIRST ABACUS 0.66 IREMIT 1.67 MANULIFE 943 MEDCO HLDG 0.7 METROBANK 86.7 NTL REINSURANCE 0.83 PB BANK 13.06 PHIL NATL BANK 59.9 PHIL STOCK EXCH 240 PHILTRUST 110 PSBANK 88.2 RCBC 50 SECURITY BANK 249 SUN LIFE 1,820 UNION BANK 86.45 VANTAGE 1.28

4.8 59.7 101.4 4.1 130.1 3 35.5 16.08 31.75 8.54 0.66 1.75 943 0.7 87.95 0.88 13.08 59.9 240.4 120 88.2 50 252 1,820 86.7 1.28

4.7 59 99.7 4.1 129 2.52 35.35 15.9 31.2 8.54 0.65 1.67 943 0.69 85.8 0.82 13.02 59.75 240 110 87.8 48.8 249 1,815 86.45 1.25

ABOITIZ POWER 42 AGRINURTURE 9.3 ALLIANCE SELECT 0.78 ALSONS CONS 1.38 ASIABEST GROUP 21 BASIC ENERGY 0.225 CEMEX HLDG 5.48 CENTURY FOOD 17 CHEMPHIL 165.2 CIRTEK HLDG 36.9 CNTRL AZUCARERA21.2 CONCEPCION 65 CONCRETE A 76 CROWN ASIA 1.93 DAVINCI CAPITAL 6.42 DEL MONTE 11.4 DNL INDUS 10.18 EAGLE CEMENT 15.18 EEI CORP 13.8 EMPERADOR 7.19 ENERGY DEVT 5.05 FIRST GEN 18.26 FIRST PHIL HLDG 66.85 GINEBRA 14 HOLCIM 12.42 INTEGRATED MICR 18.6 IONICS 1.77 JOLLIBEE 249 LMG CHEMICALS 5 MABUHAY VINYL 3.14 MACAY HLDG 23.35 MANILA WATER 31.15 MAXS GROUP 19.2 MEGAWIDE 16.5 MERALCO 277.8 MG HLDG 0.23 PANASONIC 12.7 PEPSI COLA 2.98 PETROENERGY 6.87 PETRON 10.2 PHIL H2O 6.25 PHINMA 9.9 PHINMA ENERGY 1.74 PHX PETROLEUM 12.26 PILIPINAS SHELL 68 PRYCE CORP 6.72 PUREFOODS 310 RFM CORP 4.35 ROXAS HLDG 4.44 SFA SEMICON 2.77 SHAKEYS PIZZA 13.28 SPC POWER 4.52 SWIFT FOODS 0.144 TKC METALS 1.19 UNIV ROBINA 150 VITARICH 2.15 VULCAN INDL 0.98

42.75 9.52 0.8 1.39 21 0.228 5.48 17 165.2 38.45 21.2 65 76.2 1.93 6.59 11.56 10.2 15.18 13.9 7.2 5.46 18.36 67 14.36 12.42 19.2 1.8 249 5 3.36 23.35 31.15 19.4 16.6 280 0.23 13.64 3 6.87 10.3 6.49 9.9 1.79 12.3 68.4 6.79 310 4.35 4.44 2.78 13.5 4.52 0.144 1.36 153 2.2 0.98

41.8 9.3 0.78 1.38 19.2 0.221 5.21 16.84 165.2 36.65 21.2 64 75.5 1.92 6.32 11.32 10.08 15 13.46 7.03 4.87 18.06 66.05 13.98 12.4 18.6 1.77 242.2 4.88 3.14 23.35 30.3 19.2 15.82 275.6 0.225 12.7 2.98 6.65 10.1 6.24 9.9 1.74 12.16 68 6.72 309.2 4.35 4.44 2.68 13 4.49 0.143 1.18 149.3 2.14 0.98

ABACORE CAPITAL 0.355 ABOITIZ EQUITY 74.2 ALLIANCE GLOBAL 16.4 ANGLO PHIL HLDG 1.05 ANSCOR 7 ATN HLDG A 0.34 ATN HLDG B 0.345 AYALA CORP 960 COSCO CAPITAL 8.48 DMCI HLDG 15.7 FILINVEST DEV 7.6 FJ PRINCE A 5.5 FORUM PACIFIC 0.201 GT CAPITAL 1,169 HOUSE OF INV 7.67 JG SUMMIT 79 JOLLIVILLE HLDG 5.01 KEPPEL HLDG A 5.04 KEPPEL HLDG B 5.42 LODESTAR 0.89 LOPEZ HLDG 6.57 LT GROUP 17.1 METRO PAC INV 6.87 MJC INVESTMENTS 3.49 PACIFICA 0.048 PRIME MEDIA 1.3 PRIME ORION 2.05 SAN MIGUEL CORP 97.4 SEAFRONT RES 2.61 SM INVESTMENTS 864.5 SOLID GROUP 1.45 TOP FRONTIER 292.4 UNIOIL HLDG 0.275 WELLEX INDUS 0.197

0.355 74.5 16.4 1.11 7 0.345 0.345 985 8.52 15.84 7.77 5.5 0.201 1,190 7.88 79.2 5.01 5.06 5.42 0.9 6.57 18 6.9 3.56 0.05 1.47 2.05 97.8 2.61 875 1.45 292.4 0.275 0.198

0.345 73.3 16.14 1.05 6.84 0.335 0.345 950 8.35 15.68 7.55 5.5 0.2 1,157 7.63 76.25 5.01 5.04 5.42 0.86 6.41 17.06 6.71 3.49 0.047 1.3 2.03 97.2 2.61 859 1.41 281 0.275 0.197

VOLUME

HIGH

LOW

CLOSE

VOLUME

VALUE

NET FOREIGN BUYING/(SELLING), PHP

0.315 0.5 0.47 5.96 26.5 1.79 3.18 34.6 1.03 0.87 6.28

0.32 0.5 0.495 6.19 26.5 1.85 3.2 35 1.04 0.87 6.28

0.305 0.49 0.47 5.95 26.1 1.79 3.17 34.55 1.02 0.87 6.13

0.32 0.495 0.495 6 26.5 1.82 3.2 35 1.04 0.87 6.15

46,860,000 4,580,000 4,420,000 886,300 1,278,600 899,000 87,000 10,360,200 997,000 5,000 1,809,000

14,820,150 2,245,650 2,162,650 5,352,953 33,714,805 1,642,860 276,140 360,950,535 1,027,720 4,350 11,173,261

252,000 78,450 601,585 -692,095 531,390 -61,078,000 -5,342,794

2GO GROUP 20.6 ABS CBN 40.55 ACESITE HOTEL 1.93 APC GROUP 0.57 APOLLO GLOBAL 0.039 ASIAN TERMINALS 11.18 BERJAYA 5.09 BLOOMBERRY 10.74 BOULEVARD HLDG 0.072 CEBU AIR 106.9 CENTRO ESCOLAR 8.67 CHELSEA 9.98 DFNN INC 7.01 EASYCALL 3.27 GLOBE TELECOM 2,024 GMA NETWORK 6.08 GOLDEN HAVEN 16 HARBOR STAR 2.45 IMPERIAL 2.85 INTL CONTAINER 104 IPEOPLE 12 IPM HLDG 8.41 ISLAND INFO 0.156 ISM COMM 1.33 JACKSTONES 3.1 LBC EXPRESS 16.06 LEISURE AND RES 4.36 LORENZO SHIPPNG 1.23 MACROASIA 15.9 MANILA BULLETIN 0.55 MANILA JOCKEY 2.49 MELCO RESORTS 7.88 METRO RETAIL 4.3 MLA BRDCASTING 18.5 NOW CORP 2.38 PAL HLDG 5.16 PHIL RACING 8.1 PHIL SEVEN CORP 170 PHILWEB 9.4 PLDT 1,620 PREMIUM LEISURE 1.6 PRMIERE HORIZON 0.395 PUREGOLD 50.4 ROBINSONS RTL 100.2 SBS PHIL CORP 5.85 SSI GROUP 4.54 STI HLDG 1.48 TRANSPACIFIC BR 2.09 TRAVELLERS 3.85 WATERFRONT 1.24 WILCON DEPOT 8.6

20.7 40.6 1.98 0.59 0.04 11.5 5.1 10.78 0.073 108.5 9.1 10.1 7.15 3.27 2,048 6.08 16.2 2.58 2.95 105.4 12 8.42 0.16 1.35 3.18 16.06 4.4 1.35 16.4 0.55 2.93 7.98 4.3 18.5 2.38 5.18 8.1 170 10 1,630 1.6 0.4 51.7 101.2 6 4.54 1.51 2.09 3.85 1.29 8.86

19.9 40.5 1.8 0.56 0.039 11.18 5.05 10.42 0.071 106.9 8.67 9.94 6.72 3.27 2,014 6 15.92 2.38 2.85 102.5 12 8.41 0.151 1.33 3.08 15.7 4.15 1.22 15.4 0.55 2.48 7.62 4.2 18.5 2.34 5.1 7.8 170 9.33 1,604 1.58 0.395 49.7 98.5 5.83 4.4 1.46 2.09 3.78 1.24 8.6

SERVICES 20 62,000 40.5 34,900 1.84 3,160,000 0.57 4,907,000 0.04 49,000,000 11.5 21,200 5.05 11,100 10.42 12,350,200 0.071 15,990,000 108.5 141,850 9.1 2,500 9.94 1,831,300 7.01 414,300 3.27 10,000 2,048 55,375 6.01 596,000 16.04 76,200 2.58 2,533,000 2.95 17,000 103.9 802,060 12 200 8.42 192,500 0.16 5,520,000 1.35 137,000 3.17 8,000 16.06 3,000 4.3 2,341,000 1.3 1,266,000 15.76 6,499,700 0.55 15,000 2.9 7,776,000 7.7 9,135,200 4.21 274,000 18.5 500 2.36 799,000 5.15 8,800 8.1 18,900 170 3,310 9.42 3,340,400 1,615 216,715 1.59 27,874,000 0.395 1,070,000 51.7 1,954,320 98.5 13,370,460 5.99 54,700 4.41 474,000 1.51 4,560,000 2.09 2,000 3.81 1,197,000 1.25 12,758,000 8.86 1,496,700

1,246,185 1,415,220 5,959,800 2,810,260 1,945,900 240,844 56,235 130,491,836 1,143,720 15,290,398 22,312 18,274,991 2,846,627 32,700 112,408,430 3,593,232 1,218,998 6,277,630 49,050 83,391,562 2,400 1,618,950 850,650 183,370 25,070 47,532 9,932,340 1,643,090 103,392,234 8,250 21,685,100 71,321,460 1,158,790 9,250 1,885,420 45,390 150,570 562,700 32,264,492 349,052,810 44,324,360 423,950 98,371,669 1,333,831,312.50 320,572 2,106,010 6,831,440 4,180 4,556,780 16,098,880 13,027,481

65,520 -228,000 5,691,022 611,994 -2,539,931 -612,577 -61,908,100 196,874 -54,169,800 60,800 -1,073,420 2,858,350 -84,200 51,246,752 -113,840 11,845 -94,320 -525,300 -5,390,803 -248,914,835 75,000 -64,500 -20,448,073.50 -398,082,464.50 730,030 560,750 722,970 30,720 3,490,493

ABRA MINING APEX MINING ATLAS MINING ATOK BENGUET A CENTURY PEAK COAL ASIA HLDG DIZON MINES FERRONICKEL GEOGRACE LEPANTO A LEPANTO B MANILA MINING A MANILA MINING B MARCVENTURES NICKEL ASIA NIHAO OMICO CORP ORNTL PENINSULA ORNTL PETROL A ORNTL PETROL B PHILODRILL PHINMA PETRO PX MINING PXP ENERGY SEMIRARA MINING UNITED PARAGON

0.0025 1.93 4.69 17 2 1.46 0.39 8.9 2.85 0.265 0.18 0.192 0.01 0.011 1.98 6.85 1.79 0.52 1.02 0.012 0.012 0.012 2.44 8.33 7.49 45.35 0.0078

0.0026 2.08 4.78 18.2 2 1.61 0.39 8.9 2.93 0.27 0.181 0.192 0.011 0.011 1.99 7.09 1.79 0.53 1.04 0.012 0.012 0.013 2.44 8.4 8.34 46 0.0078

0.0025 1.87 4.59 16.1 2 1.43 0.385 8.7 2.81 0.255 0.178 0.188 0.01 0.011 1.91 6.84 1.63 0.52 1 0.012 0.012 0.012 2.44 8.32 7.13 45 0.0078

MINING & OIL 0.0026 65,000,000 2.02 65,850,000 4.6 1,563,000 17.7 47,400 2 24,000 1.55 10,573,000 0.39 1,260,000 8.79 4,000 2.82 11,001,000 0.265 1,210,000 0.18 5,080,000 0.188 1,580,000 0.011 41,600,000 0.011 18,300,000 1.93 579,000 6.9 3,032,200 1.69 152,000 0.53 132,000 1.04 1,101,000 0.012 31,300,000 0.012 200,000 0.012 139,100,000 2.44 102,000 8.34 92,200 8.22 33,033,500 45.5 1,799,300 0.0078 284,000,000

165,200 132,109,290 7,235,870 790,132 48,000 16,101,550 490,850 34,991 31,424,240 314,950 909,120 299,860 444,000 201,300 1,119,770 21,001,263 257,050 68,660 1,117,760 375,600 2,400 1,669,300 248,880 769,212 261,002,030 81,502,200 2,215,200

-7,800 1,101,880 81,920 -43,140 -1,784,560 9,500 -189,200 -37,332 -341,929 3,414,422 -12,843,125 101,400

ABS HLDG PDR AC PREF B2 DD PREF FGEN PREF F FGEN PREF G GLO PREF P GMA HLDG PDR GTCAP PREF A PF PREF 2 PNX PREF 3A PNX PREF 3B SMC PREF 2B SMC PREF 2C SMC PREF 2F SMC PREF 2I

40.6 530 106 104.6 117 530 5.79 1,030 1,015 103.5 112.9 75.2 80.5 81 79.4

40.6 530 106.6 109.2 117 530 5.79 1,040 1,015 103.5 112.9 75.2 80.5 81.5 79.4

40.55 530 106 104.6 117 530 5.75 1,030 1,013 103.5 112.9 75.2 80.5 81 78.95

PREFERRED 40.6 7,800 530 100 106.6 300 109.2 110 117 4,200 530 1,000 5.75 331,800 1,039 1,535 1,013 1,500 103.5 330 112.9 80 75.2 1,650 80.5 36,000 81 30,750 78.95 84,520

316,675 53,000 31,910 11,552 491,400 530,000 1,907,978 1,585,895 1,520,500 34,155 9,032 124,080 2,898,000 2,492,100 6,683,344

308,565.00 -1,907,399 -124,080 238,200

LR WARRANT

2.6

2.6

2.51

WARRANTS 2.55 751,000

1,920,970

-25,600

4.3 4.77 5.7

4.21 4.5 5.55

SME 4.21 4.55 5.61

111,000 57,000 1,280,500

471,350 260,330 7,178,576

9,000 -2,166,274

123.9

EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS 123.5 123.9 19,010

2,352,589

NAME

OPEN

MRC ALLIED PHIL ESTATES PHIL REALTY PRIMEX CORP ROBINSONS LAND ROCKWELL SHANG PROP SM PRIME HLDG STA LUCIA LAND SUNTRUST HOME VISTA LAND

MS

HOLDING FIRMS 0.355 250,000 74.5 2,250,220 16.3 10,708,300 1.11 2,216,000 6.9 63,200 0.34 1,620,000 0.345 10,000 980 254,930 8.48 1,373,600 15.72 13,637,500 7.55 70,100 5.5 10,000 0.2 740,000 1,190 107,520 7.63 100,700 79.2 2,099,670 5.01 200 5.04 5,000 5.42 100 0.87 421,000 6.41 756,900 18 1,315,500 6.77 27,715,100 3.5 37,000 0.049 11,400,000 1.46 484,000 2.03 165,000 97.6 243,520 2.61 23,000 875 695,970 1.41 301,000 292.4 10,930 0.275 60,000 0.198 910,000

ITALPINAS PHILAB HLDG XURPAS

4.26 4.76 5.7

FIRST METRO ETF 123.7

6,195

DDS 8990 HLDG 5.17 A BROWN 1.19 ANCHOR LAND 10.72 ARANETA PROP 2.33 ARTHALAND CORP 1.03 AYALA LAND 43.5 BELLE CORP 3.75 CEB LANDMASTERS 5.29 CEBU HLDG 5.3 CENTURY PROP 0.51 CITY AND LAND 1.32 CITYLAND DEVT 1.49 CROWN EQUITIES 0.247 CYBER BAY 0.48 DOUBLEDRAGON 41.55 EMPIRE EAST 0.68 EVER GOTESCO 0.147 FILINVEST LAND 2.05 GLOBAL ESTATE 1.5 IRC PROP 0.9 MEGAWORLD 5.1

5.17 1.19 10.72 2.33 1.04 43.9 3.8 5.3 5.4 0.52 1.35 1.49 0.265 0.49 41.6 0.69 0.147 2.05 1.53 0.92 5.22

4.99 1.14 9.9 2.3 1.01 43.1 3.71 5.16 5.3 0.51 1.32 1.48 0.245 0.48 40.8 0.68 0.147 1.97 1.49 0.9 5.1

PROPERTY 4.99 831,500 1.15 8,023,000 10 22,100 2.31 239,000 1.04 1,845,000 43.6 15,296,600 3.76 591,000 5.25 1,889,300 5.3 26,400 0.52 5,914,000 1.35 478,000 1.49 126,000 0.26 88,750,000 0.49 2,230,000 40.8 171,400 0.69 544,000 0.147 10,000 1.97 21,402,000 1.53 3,298,000 0.92 323,000 5.18 32,618,100

USD DMPL A1 4,171,953 9,245,400 223,712 552,050 1,891,670 665,977,945 2,224,500 9,897,438 140,460 3,037,280 642,360 187,700 22,834,550 1,078,000 7,032,945 370,130 1,470 42,702,600 4,990,930 294,390 168,567,011

-2,580,966 -55,200.00 -50,000 -425,242,055 -106,130 369,472 614,120 -2,575,000 -14,400 -282,085 -514,660 -7,650 -47,315,726.00

11

11

TRADING SUMMARY

11

11

SHARES

VALUE

FINANCIAL

25,993,353

1,115,801,018.80

INDUSTRIAL

370,250,523

2,749,466,560.17

80,366,443

2,063,839,867.21

HOLDING FIRMS PROPERTY

258,429,953

1,448,423,362.30

SERVICES

195,571,811

2,509,245,210.636

MINING & OIL

718,841,143

561,976,351.4144

GRAND TOTAL

1,650,922,517

10,459,023,216.83

3,000

33,000

-

FINANCIAL 1,972.74 (up) 7.86 INDUSTRIAL 11,122.07 (up) 112.27 HOLDING FIRMS 8,328.40 (up) 43.43 PROPERTY 3,879.68 (up) 19.25 SERVICES 1,693.70 (down) 12.07 MINING & OIL 13,932.70 (up) 67.31 PSEI 8,221.92 (up) 51.78 All Shares Index 4,851.09 (up) 19.23 Gainers: 106; Losers: 103; Unchanged: 39; Total: 248

Maynilad investing P239m in Cavite WEST zone concessionaire Maynilad Water Services Inc. said it is spending P239 million for a pipe-laying project in the cities of Bacoor and Imus in Cavite province that will connect 23,000 new customers to Maynilad’s water distribution network.

The project involves laying almost 12 kilometers of primary and secondary lines along Daang Hari Road― from the intersection of Molino Road to Pasong Buaya 1 Road.

Upon its completion in the last week of October 2017, residents of Barangays Molino III and IV and Pasong Buaya I and II will enjoy 24hour piped-in potable water at a strong pressure of 16 psi (pounds per square inch). At 16 psi, water supply can reach the third story of a structure without the need for a booster pump.

Before connecting to Maynilad, these residents relied heavily on deep wells and shallow wells for their daily water supply needs. With this connection to surface water from Maynilad, over-extraction of groundwater in Cavite can be averted.

Over-extraction of groundwater has negative environmental consequences, such as land sinking and saltwater intrusion into water tables.

Moreover, various health risks have been associated with the prolonged use of untreated water from deep wells.

“Maynilad is aggressive in its efforts to provide potable and reliable water supply to the still-unserved residents in our concession area. With this recent investment in new pipelines in Cavite, we will be able to sustain our expansion in the province,” said Maynilad president and chief executive Ramoncito Fernandez.

Crown Asia taps AllHome as distributor

By Jenniffer B. Austria CROWN Asia Chemicals Corp., a major manufacturer of quality pipes and compounds, said its products are now be available at AllHome, an all-service home furnishing chain owned by real estate magnate Manuel Villar.

Crown Asia said in a disclosure to the stock exchange it would bring Crown Pipes― a complete line of world-class pipes and fittings that serve the needs of architects, builders and developers―into AllHome stores starting this month.

“Crown’s presence in these one-stop construction supply depot assures availability of its quality products for project requirements of homebuilders and industry professionals,” Crown Asia chairman and general manager for pipes and roofing group Walter Villanueva said.

Crown Asia said prior to its decision to tap construction depot, the company was selling pipes and compounds to hardware dealers, wholesalers and distributors.

It said Crown Electrical, Crown Sanitary, Crown Blue, Crown PP-R pipes and precision-fit fittings are now among the brand’s product lines available at AllHome Taguig, Antipolo, Molino and Kawit branches.

The company will soon deliver products to all 13 AllHome stores in Metro Manila and nearby provinces.

Crown Asia said there was a steady rise in the volume of property development and infrastructures.

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK Manila

LGUs

Standard

TODAY

Firm leads Subic coast cleanup volunteers

By Butch Gunio SUBIC BAY FREEPORT —Five hundred volunteers recently joined the 3rd Protect the Bay Coastal Cleanup Initiative led by Redondo Peninsula Energy in Sitio Kinabuksan, Barangay Cawag here, in line with the International Coastal Cleanup Day. Students of nearby schools, residents and local officials joined the activity.

“Beyond doing a cleanup, we want to instill environmental awareness among the youth. We use this as a venue to also teach them about proper waste segregation and recycling. In other words, start them young,” said RP Energy Corporate Social Responsibility officer Jason Gavina.

RP Energy, in partnership with Kinabuksan Integrated School, also launched the BasuraP a l i t - G a m i t - E s k we l a program, a spin-off project where students can exchange collected recyclables and other trash for school supplies.

Litz Santana, Meralco PowerGen vice president for External Affairs, said: “We are happy that the Protect the Bay Initiative has become a multi-sectoral effort and platform, engaging volunteers from the government, to parents and fisherfolk. It is them who will sustain the success of this program.”

Protect the Bay Initiative is RP Energy’s flagship program for the environment, and its goal is to build a community of volunteers and organizations that will promote environmental stewardship and create sustainable livelihood within the Subic Bay communities.

friday, september 29, 2017

B3

Whistleblower regrets case L

By Manilyn B. Ugalde

EGAZPI CITY—More than five years since becoming the whistleblower in a P150-million plunder case against 42 officials and employees of the Department of Public Works and Highways in Bicol Region, Robert Canezal is now regretting his decision.

Now 52, Canezal has survived threats, harassment, three suspension orders, and imprisonment involving the DPWH equipment and parts scandal, he told

the Standard on Thursday.

But the case has not prospered, and the former Masbate Area Equipment Service operator’s request to be admitted into the

Witness Protection Program has not been entertained. Canezal said this has made him the laughingstock of his former colleagues in the department.

“I resisted offered rewards, threats, and faced harassments for accepting the job as a whistleblower that I have started in a hope the [previous] Aquino administration was just honest in its campaign against corruption,” he told the Standard.

Canezal appealed to Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales for a speedy resolution of his case, saying: “After all, I am no longer interested on the outcome of the

case, with many more executives and employees involved also contemplating to retire.”

He filed his plunder complaint against top officials and employees of the DPWH regional office, Regional Equipment Service, and Masbate Area Equipment Service with the Office of the Ombudsman on Feb. 11, 2012.

This was amended by a final complaint filed on June 18, 2012, two months after the DPWH regional office bid out the alleged cannibalized and chopped equipment on March 20, 2012.

In less than two weeks, the equipment declared as junk was rushed out of Masbate by the winning bidder, junk trader Jimmy Carreon from Pampanga.

Canezal said the equipment was the physical evidence in the 18-page investigation report sanctioned by the DPWH regional office in 2010, “which covers a decade of scandal, with me as the source of documentary evidences,” he said.

He admitted in the complaint that he was a party to the scandal, being the lone equipment operator in Masbate. “I even served as

collector of the undocumented leased equipment rental from private contractors,” he added.

Blowing the whistle, however, cost him three suspensions, with the first order served in 2011, while two other suspension orders “were intentionally hid and not released from the Office of (then-DPWH) Secretary Rogelio Singson, in an effort to soften my strong stand in the case,” he said.

“A DPWH lawyer even visited me in Masbate in 2014 to court my withdrawal of the case as far as the regional director, who had already been reassigned to another region in 2013, was concerned,” Canezal said.

He said the lawyer who visited him “signed in the DPWH Masbate District Engineering logbook that he’s from Singson office on official business to see me.”

The two suspension orders, for 60 days each, surfaced only under the Duterte administration and were served in November 2016 and last February, said Canezal.

The first suspension order was signed by Danilo Dequito, the DPWH Bicol regional director at the time, and served in 2012.

Republic of the Philippines Province of Ilocos Norte OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR 2900 Laoag City BIDS AND AWARDS COMMITTEE INVITATION TO BID

NEW DEALERSHIP. Nissan Philippines Inc. recently unveiled its new state-of-the-art showroom and dealership in the City of Santa Rosa. Cutting the ceremonial ribbon are (from left) Cristy Borja-Malapitan, Nissan Santa Rosa and Nissan Southwoods Carmona general manager, Santa Rosa City Mayor Dan Fernandez, Laguna 1st District Rep. Arlene Arcillas, Mrs. Limcaoco, Felix Limcaoco (owner), Nissan Philippines Inc. president Ramesh Narasimhan, and Doroteo Sornet, Team Tetra Sales Nissan vice president. Roy Tomandao

Free pet baptism at GenTri church Saturday GENERAL TRIAS CITY—The traditional “Pabialahay” or Pabigyagan ng Alagang Hayop (Baptism for Pets) is set on Saturday, Sept. 30, in front of the historic San Francisco de Asis Church plaza here.

Parish Priest Fr. Jun Poblete will lead the pet baptism—usually held every first week of Oc-

tober leading to the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi, the Catholic patron saint of animals—after the Holy Mass at 6:30 a.m. at the New Look City Plaza.

The City Agriculture Office led

by Nerie Marquez will also offer free anti-rabies vaccinations on the same day to celebrate World Rabies Day. Marquez encouraged GenTri’s

dog and cat owners to go to City Plaza to get their free rabies shots.

This event also leads up to the Fiesta Karakol on Oct. 2, with the parade starting in the early hours of Monday to celebrate the city’s patron saint. Local officials led by Mayor Antonio Ferrer and Rep. Luis ‘Jon Jon’ Ferrer of Cavite’s 6th District will lead the revelry.

Calabarzon police chiefs go through leadership training CAMP VICENTE LIM, La- munication and evangelism. The guna—Thirty Chiefs of Police seminar covered subjects such as from the different municipal Biblical Mandate for Evangelism, and city police stations in the Discipline of a Leader, Commuprovince have completed a five- nicating the Gospel to the Next day live-in Haggai Institute Generation, Communicating EfNational Seminar dubbed as fectively for Evangelism with “Training Leaders Globally to Presentation Skills, Biblical StewImpact Their World Locally” at ardship and Raising Resources the Mount Makiling Recreation for Evangelism, and Setting and Center in Sto. Tomas, Batangas. Achieving Goals for Evangelism.

“We want you to be prepared In very emotional testimonies, for more challenges that will participants expressed how the come our way,” said Calabarzon seminar greatly changed them and Police Regional Director Chief their relationship with God. They Supt. Ma. O Aplasca, an alumnus also committed to do their part in of Haggai Institute, said during spreading the Good News and the the convocation program. word of the Lord in their respec“We will continue to equip you tive units. Roy Tomandao with the appropriate training as we continue to stand firm NOTICE OF DISSOLUTION with our commitOF ment to serve this SANO ASIA PVT. INC. part of the country,” Aplasca added.

Notice is hereby given that a special The Philippine meeting of all shareholders of Sano Haggai Institute Asia Pvt. Inc. was held at its head Alumni Associaoffice in Quezon City, Philippines and tion is a non-profit that a Board Resolution has been organization with made thereby dissolving its operation the mission to adlast December 22, 2014. vance the skills of qualified Christian leaders to more effectively evangelize the world, and to equip and inN OTICE spire strategicallyNotice is hereby given that CURRIMAO positioned leaders SOLAR ENERGY CORP. is applying for to more effectively registration with the Board of Investments (BOI) as demonstrate and Renewable Energy Developer of Solar Energy Resources (10MW Currimao Solar Power present the Gospel Project) in Currimao, Ilocos Norte to avail of of Jesus Christ and the incentives under the Renewable Energy Act of to prepare others 2008 (RA9513). to do the same.

Any person with valid objection/s on the The pool of excelabove-mentioned project may file his/her objection in writing, under oath, with the BOI within three (3) lent and engaging days from the date of this publication. facilitators led the chiefs of police on (SGD.) NESTOR P. ARCANSALIN a learning advenDirector ture, with sessions Resource-based Industries Service on leadership, com(SEPT. 29 OCT. 6 & 13, 2017)

(MS-SEPT. 29, 2017)

NOTICE Notice is hereby given that BOI Certificate of Registration No. EP 93-236 issued to METALCAST CORPORATION on August 5, 1993 is no longer with the possession of the company as the said Certificate was among the important documents of the company which were destroyed during the Typhoon Ondoy in 2009.

This notification is in compliance with the Board of Investments’ requirement in the cancellation of the said Certificate of Registration.

(SEPT. 29, 2017)

SECURITY PLANT COMPLEX (SPC) DISPOSAL COMMITTEE

The Provincial Government of Ilocos Norte, through its Bids and Awards Committee (BAC), invites Contractors registered with and classified by the Philippine Contractors Accreditation Board (PCAB) to apply for eligibility and if found eligible, to bid for the hereunder contracts: 1. Name of Contract : Rehabilitation and Improvement of Parang-Barbar-Pugaoan Provincial Road Reference Number : (ID No. BAC-IN 2017-14 Location : Brgy. Bungro and Pugaoan, Pinili, Ilocos Norte Brief Description : Construction of PCCP Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) : Php 50,014,159.00 Source of Fund : Trust Fund (DILG– Conditional Matching Grant to Provinces 2017) Contract Duration : 201 Calendar Days 2. Name of Contract : Rehabilitation and Improvement of Mabuti-Caparian Provincial Road Reference Number : (ID No. BAC-IN 2017-15 Location : Brgy. Imelda, Marcos and Brgy.

Biningan, Batac City Brief Description : Construction of PCCP Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) : Php 78,719,471.00 Source of Fund : Trust Fund (DILG – Conditional Matching Grant to Provinces 2017) Contract Duration : 301 Calendar Days 3. Name of Contract : Repair and Improvement of BurgosAgaga Provincial Road Reference Number : (ID No. BAC-IN 2017-16) Location : Brgy. Poblacion and Agaga, Burgos, Ilocos Norte Brief Description : Construction of PCCP Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) : Php 87,965,565.00 Source of Fund : Trust Fund (DILG – Conditional Matching Grant to Provinces 2017 ) Contract Duration : 229 Calendar Days Prospective bidders should possess a valid PCAB License applicable to the contract, have completed, within ten (10) years from the date of submission and receipt of bids, a contract similar with a value of at least 50% of the ABC. The description of an eligible bidder with good performance as contained in the Bidding Documents, particularly in Section II. Instruction to Bidders.

Bidding will be conducted through open competitive procedures using non-discretionary “pass/fail” criterion as specified in the Revised Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) over Republic Act 9184 (R.A. 9184), otherwise known as “Government Procurement Reform Act”. Prospective bidders should be registered with the PhilGEPS at www.philgeps.net.

Bidding is restricted to Filipino citizens, sole proprietorships, or organizations with at least seventy-five percent (75%) interest or outstanding capital stock belonging to citizens of the Philippines.

NOTICE OF PUBLIC AUCTION The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), through its Disposal Committee, invites bidders to participate in the public auction for the sale, on an “as is, where is” basis, of the following· Item No 1 2 3

Qty

Item Description

Location

1 1 1

Auto Printing Machine (Unomatic) Goldstamping Machine (Heidelberg) Barcode Number Printing Machine (Atlantic Zeiser) Special Double Semi-Automatic Book Pressing Machine (Zechine) Pressing Machine (La Fornigrafica) Double Book Pressing Machine (Zechine) Automatic Folding Machine (ShoEi 2) Perforating Laser Machine (Atlantic Zeiser) Sheet-Fed/Double Deck Offset Printing Press Machine (Komori)

BSP·QC BSP·QC

PhP17,955,000.00 PhP596,000.00

BSP·QC

PhP447,000.00

4

1

5 6 7 8 9

1 1 1 1 1

Floor Price

BSP-QC

PhP790,000.00

BSP-QC BSP-QC BSP-QC BSP-QC

PhP288,000.00 PhP418,000.00 PhP1,206,000.00 PhP10,520,000.00

BSP-QC

PhP112,244,000.00

The schedule of activities is as follows· 1. Issuance of Bid Documents Starting date: 4 October 2017 Room 405, 4th Floor, Building A, BsPSPC, East Avenue, Diliman, Quezon City 2. Inspection of Items for Auction Date/Time: 4-6 October 2017 at 9:00 am and 1:00 p.m.

3. Opening of Bids 3/F Staff Dining Date/Time: 9 October 2017 at 10:00 Room a.m.

The BSP reserves the right to accept or reject any bid, to declare the bidding a failure, to annul the bidding process and to reject all bids at any given time prior to award of contract, without thereby incurring any liability to the bidders.

Furthermore, the BSP reserves the right to waive any minor defect or formality and to accept the proposal most advantageous to the Bank.

The schedule of BAC activities are as follows: BAC Activities 1. Issuance of Bid Documents 2. Pre-bid Conference 3. Submission and Opening of Bids

Schedule September 29 to October 18, 2017 October 06, 2017, 2:00 PM, BAC Office (General Services Office), Provincial Capitol, Laoag City October 19, 2017, 2:00 PM, BAC Office (General Services Office), Provincial Capitol, Laoag City

A complete set of Bidding Documents may be purchased by interested bidders at the BAC Office, Provincial Capitol, Laoag City, Ilocos Norte, and upon payment of a non-refundable fee at the Treasurer’s Office, Provincial Capitol, Laoag City, Ilocos Norte in the amount of Php50,000.00 for each of the projects.

Bids will be opened in the presence of the bidder’s representative who chooses to attend at the above address. Late bids shall not be accepted.

The Provincial Government of Ilocos Norte reserve the right to accept or reject any bid, to annul the bidding process, and to reject all bids at any time prior to contract award, without thereby incurring any liability to the affected bidder or bidders.

For further information, please refer to: JOSEPHINE A. CORPUZ BAC TWG - Infra Province of Ilocos Norte Telephone No. (077) 770-39-44 or 772-20-49 Email Add: bacilocosnorte.yahoo.com (SGD) ATTY. ERME S. LABAYOG BAC Chairman

ARIEL C. CHUIDIAN Chairperson 22 September 2017 (MS-SEPT. 29, & 30, 2017)

(MS-SEPT. 29, 2017)

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

LGUs

Jimbo Owen Gulle, Editor editor.lgustantard@gmail.com mslocalgov@gmail.com

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friday, september 29, 2017

LocaL government units

GREENS FOR THE FUTURE. Newly promoted Maj. Gen. Rolando Joselito Bautista, commander of the Philippine Army’s 1st Infantry (Tabak) Division, teaches children of Marawi evacuees how to plant a vegetable. Besides a mission to flush out the ISIS-Maute terrorists, Bautista is overseeing the completion of the green community that would soon be occupied by several evacuees presently in temporary shelters and different evacuation centers. Also pictured (inset, left) is Tarlac Heritage Foundation co-founder Dra. Isa Cojuangco Suntay, who joined military officials led by Bautista and advised them on the vegetable garden setup.

Four more fake traffic enforcers fall into dragnet

By Bill Casas FouR more bogus traffic enforcers extorting money from unsuspecting truckers—one being a notorious repeat offender—were arrested by operatives of the Manila Traffic and Parking Bureau in the continuing operation against scalawags ordered by Mayor Joseph Estrada.

Estrada lauded MTPB led by Dennis Alcoreza for the arrest of Benjamin Baliuag, 33; Edard Canares, 32; Demetrio Cruz, and another unnamed suspect, bringing to 10 the number of fake traffic enforcers arrested by the city’s traffic unit since May. A fifth suspect, identified as Rogelio Balatbat, managed to escape the dragnet conducted along Taft Avenue in Ermita on September 14. He is now the subject of an extensive manhunt, Alcoreza said.

“I commend MTPB for this successful operation. My strict instruction to them is very clear: get rid of these thugs and extortionists tarnishing the image of MTPB and of the city. No let-up,” Estrada said.

The complainant, a cargo truck driver named Herson Bulag, recounted he was driving along Taft Avenue near the corner of united Nations Avenue at 2:30 a.m. of Sept. 14 when three men flagged him down, supposedly for violating the truck ban policy in Taft Avenue. one of the suspects, who turned out to be Balatbat, was wearing an old MTPB orange uniform, the driver recounted.

A model ‘pluralist community’

By Nash B. Maulana

B

uLuAN, Maguindanao—Most of the province’s workplaces and schools are shared by Muslims and Christians, showing a healthy pluralist community that withstands challenges of religious intolerance and extremism.

Gov. Esmael Mangudadatu said Maguindanao has the best examples to show peace and stability in multicultural coexistence among

PH to host global meet on carabao enterprises

By Ben Moses Ebreo SCIENCE CITY oF MuňoZ, Nueva Ecija— The Philippine Carabao Center here will be hosting this year’s International Conference on Carabao-Based Enterprise Development.

Ma. Cecilia Irang, PCC Information officer, said about 200 participants from the Philippines and other Asian countries are expected to attend the event, which will be held at the Philippine Carabao Center National Headquarters in this city from oct. 26 to 27.

The event, organized by the PCC and the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Studies and Research in Agriculture, is meant to boost efforts in developing the carabao industry toward food and nutrition security and livelihood development in the country and some member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Irang said.

“The CBED stakeholders will exchange during the conference scientific and technological knowledge and best practices on buffalo-based enterprise development, discuss government policies, regulations, support facilities and logistics that are vital in the development of carabaobased dairy enterprises; and, explore mutually beneficial partnerships, collaboration and cooperation in relevant research and development and initiatives,” she said.

indigenous people’s tribes, Maguindanaon Muslims, the resident Chinese traders, and the old Christian settlers.

Mangudadatu said some quarters were thinking of staging a “unity roadshow” to intensify peace amidst religious diversity, in the face of a reportedly swarming terror threat from a breakaway armed Moro group.

While state security forces jointly repel extremists with the help of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, the governor said the people should be ready with “sustainable social dialogue” to preserve a pluralist community from militants, who

tend to divide the people in the name of religions.

Mangudadatu, a Maguindanaon Muslim, said the offices of the Provincial Capitol alone are a workplace shared fairly by Christians and Muslims, occupying both supervisory and subordinate levels, depending on qualification standards prescribed by the Civil Service Commission.

Maguindanao Assemblyman Khadafeh Mangudadatu, the governor’s younger brother, said they had also attended schools where

a small number of Muslim students blended well with their Christian schoolmates in Davao City.

The same can be said of schools and offices in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, where 99 percent of the youth are effectively kept off the influence of extremism, according to ARMM executive secretary Laisa Alamia.

In Basilan, ARMM Governor Mujiv Hataman and his brother, Basilan Gov. Hajiman Salliman, said

Corporation of the Philippines has restored power flow through the Gamu-Roxas 69kV line, which tripped and caused a four-hour power outage due to this burned wooden transmission pole pictured, on Thursday. A field report indicated that the pole was affected by rice straw burned under the structure in Barculan, Gamu, Isabela. The NGCP appealed to the public not to cause fires near or under transmission facilities to prevent power interruptions and accidents. Abe Almirol

QC’s Ludovica may run for Congress in 2019 TWo-TERM District 2 Councilor Ranulfo Ludovica of Quezon City may run for Congress in 2019 “if and only when” District 2 Rep. Winston Castelo is chosen by the ruling Partido Demokratiko ng Pilipinas-Lakas ng Bayan to run as vice mayor “under the

lineup of Vice Mayor Joy Belmonte.”

In an interview Thursday, Ludovica said should the PDP-Laban endorse Castelo’s vice mayoralty bid, the lawmaker’s wife, three-term District 2 Councilor Precious HipolitoCastelo, would drop her political ambition to seek a congressional seat.

Residents said the experience of pluralism in Maguindanao is different from that of Marawi, where the place of coexistence is mainly confined to one place. In Maguindanao, Muslims and non-Muslims work together in many parts of the province.

The Mangudadatus said the leadership of Maguindanao protects the rights of its citizens without much distinction as to whether they are Maguindanaon, Visayan, Ilocano, Chinese or IPs.

Book on 68 PH visual artists launched Oct. 2

GRASS FIRE. The National Grid

By Rio N. Araja

they are developing a “Pagtarbiyahan,” a formation center designed along the learning and cultural experience of the Yakan, Sama and Taosug, to protect the local youth from foreign influence being advanced by extremists’ peaching.

Curiously, the militants in Marawi first targeted the Dansalan College, a secular Christian school, which is said to be a “distinct institutional host” to peaceful coexistence of Maranao Muslim natives and Christian residents.

“That’s what he [Castelo] said to me,” Ludovica told the Manila Standard.

Belmonte, daughter of District 4 Rep. Feliciano “Sonny” Belmonte Jr.—the city’s former three-term mayor and former House Speaker—has confirmed she will run for mayor in the 2019 elections, with last-term District 3 Coun-

A BooK on 68 visual artists, their works noted for variations in content and form, will be launched on oct. 2 at 6 p.m. at the Ayala Museum Main at the Greenbelt in Makati City.

The 9-by-12-inch, 176page book, published by The Crucible Workshop, is written by Dr. Paul Blanco Zafaralla, a multi-awarded art critic and a retired professor of the Department of Humanities at the state-run university of the Philippines in Los Baňos, Laguna.

The visual artists—whose works covered the decades 1950s to 1980s—have enriched, according to critics, the treasure trove of Philippine arts and the portraits

reveal individual identities beyond physical likeness.

These are manifested by deportment, facial expressions, compositional angle, eye view, color, brushwork and the size relative to the art paper.

The text is hewn out of the language of the arts, art history and criticism, including semiotics, in a language that caters to professionals, art practitioners, and the general public without sacrificing depth and truthfulness.

Designed with a clear synergy between text and visuals, the book bids as a veritable Hall of Fame for the carefully evaluated 68 visual artists. Honor Blanco Cabie

cilor Gian Carlo Sotto as her running mate.

The incumbent vice mayor said Sotto, son of Senator Vicente Sotto and veteran actress Helen Gamboa, was the “only choice” to succeed her in 2019.

The younger Belmonte, Sotto and the Castelos have jumped ship to PDP-Laban from the Liberal Party.

DoH-NCR lauds Muntinlupa’s health programs THE Department of HealthNational Capital Region has recognized the local government of Muntinlupa’s health programs in the agency’s awarding ceremony of best service implementers on Wednesday night at the Century Park Hotel in Manila.

Health Secretary Dr. Pau-

lyn Rosell-ubial led the event and lauded all NCR Health offices for their commitment to improve the quality of life of Metro Manila residents.

Muntinlupa City was cited for its “exceptional contribution towards the achievement of the Health Emergency Management goals

and continuing partnership in strengthening health systems in the region.”

DoH-NCR also commended the city government for its implementation of the National Voluntary Blood Services program and achieving a one-percent blood donation ratio among

its total population.

Receiving the award were Mayor Jaime Fresnedi, City Health officer Dr. Magdalena Meana, Health Emergency Management Staff Coordinator Dr. Maria Teresa Tuliao, Nutrition Cluster Coordinator Maria Ana ordenes, and other local officials.

The cover of Professor Paul Blanco Zafaralla’s book “Ephraim Samson: Portraits of Filipino Artists.”

Life

Isah V. Red, Editor Bernadette Lunas, Writer isahred@gmail.com

culture and media

fRIday, septemBeR 29, 2017

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Las Casas Filipinas De Acuzar joins Historic Hotels Worldwide PRIDE IN THE PAST. Bagac, Bataan-based Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar is the first resort in the Philippines to be part of the Historic Hotels Worldwide, a prestigious group which promotes heritage and cultural travel.

L

AS Casas Filipinas de Acuzar in Bagac, Bataan has joined Historic Hotels Worldwide, the official program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation (United States of America) for recognizing and celebrating the finest historic hotels around the globe.

Historic Hotels Worldwide promotes heritage and cultural travel by featuring a prestigious collection of historic treasures including historic hotels and other historic lodging spanning more than 10 centuries across the globe.

“We are delighted to induct Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar, a heritage community resort built in 2000 to Historic Hotels Worldwide.” said Lawrence Horwitz, executive director of Historic Hotels of America and Historic Hotels Worldwide. “We welcome Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar, Mr. Jerry acuzar, and leadership team into Historic Hotels Worldwide.”

To be nominated and selected to be featured on this supplemental marketing program website, historical lodging properties must be at least 75 years old; utilize historic accommodations; serve as the former home or be located on the grounds of the former home of famous persons or significant location for an event in history; be located in or within walking distance to a historic district, historically significant landmark, place of historic event, or a historic city center; be recognized by a local preservation organization or national trust; and display historic memorabilia, artwork, photography, and other examples of its historic significance.

“We (at Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar) are more than honored to be the first resort in the Philippines inducted into this prestigious organization through our efforts of bringing the best of Filipino heritage and culture to the world. We are also very delighted to be nominated as one of the Best Historic Hotels Worldwide hotels in Asia & the Pacific alongside Alsisar Haveli in India, Sofitel Legend Metropole in Vietnam, Laxmi Niwas Palace in India, Hotel New Grand in Japan, and The Fullerton Hotel in Singapore. With this, we will continue to showcase local craftsmanship and the

warmth of hospitality that Filipinos are known for,” says Erwin dona, director of Brand Marketing.

Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar is rich in history and architectural integrity. Since the year 2000, its sprawling 400-hectare land has been undergoing development. At present, 26-hectares of land have been developed and is being used as a space for the resort’s growing heritage community.

The resort opened its doors to the public in the year 2010 and has been giving its local and international guests a memorable taste of Filipino ingenuity. The heritage community’s architecture continues to amaze its visitors with its intricacy and immortal beauty. Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar maintains its goal of bringing pride in the past and hope for the future.

Hotel de Oriente is one of the structures in the 400-hectare heritage community.

(Inset) The interior of Hotel de Oriente

Pages

Beauty queen maker spills pageantry secrets in new book Jonas Gaffud Gaffud, the trainer who has produced a Miss World, a Miss International, and a Miss Universe for the Philippines, shares the secrets to winning beauty pageants and spills inside stories of the most celebrated beauty royalties in recent years in The Crown: Your Essential Guide to BeQueen, his first book published coming a Beauty Queen

by ABS-CBN Publishing, Inc. With more than 30 certified beauty titlists, Gaffud is undeniably the country’s premier beauty queen maker. Known as “Mama J” in the industry, his assembly of beauty queen internawannabes now includes winners in interna tional beauty contests such as Miss World 2013 Megan Young, Miss International 2016 Kylie Versoza, and Miss Universe 2015 Pia Wurtzbach who are with him on the book cover.

Together with his beauty pageant training besquad, Aces & Queens, the new author has be Jonas Gaffud shares inside stories and secrets to winning beauty pageants in his first book

come a key player in the Philippines’ pageantry success for 16 years now.

“It’s all about Aces & Queens’ journey, how we trained beautiful ladies all these years (and their stories as well), how we created our group, and how we evolved,” shared Gaffud on what the book is all about.

The book will prove to be essential to both pageant aspirants and keen spectators, with its discussions on competitions’ crucial matters such as dealing with the height problem, question and answer tricks, and sashaying in heels 101. It also provides the Aces and Queens checklist and tons of tips on preparing for the big event.

Gaffud also opened up about his biggest triumphs. He said, “Training beauty queens gave me front row, and most recently, mosh pit, to the exhilarating world of pageants. Seeing the ladies we trained showcase their unique beauty, walk and personality on stage never fails to give me a natural high. A definite milestone in my career is being able to help make Miss Universe happen in the Philippines.”

The handy manual provides inspiration from the stories of his group’s roster of beauty queens who

all remained gracious through victory and defeat.

The author also revealed other interesting details like his first-ever buena mano candidate, his Aces & Queens team members and their training forte, and the lessons learned when pageants wrap up.

“The best and most fulfilling part of all is being vessels for these young girls to be better individuals, thinking individuals, who reach their dreams and do something that make our nation proud,” wrote the beauty queen trainer who also heads Mercator Artist and Model Management.

Jonas launched the book together with the other Aces & Queens pillars—arnold “Mama Ruffa” Mercado and nad Bronce, and their beauty queen alumnae Pia, Miss Universe 2010 4th runner-up Venus Raj, and alumni–now actor daniel Matsunaga, model Marc nash, and other special guests at a ceremony held in Marco Polo Ortigas Manila.

Wurtzbach shared her excitement about the beauty queen manual. She said, “The book gives me a lot of flashbacks when I was just starting.

They (Aces & Queens) found potential in me at a time when I didn’t see it yet.”

The book is available at newsstands and bookstores nationwide for only P295.

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FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2017 Isah V. Red, Editor • Nickie Wang, Writer

PEOPLE ...are not talking about

…are talking about Morrisette Amon By the time you finished reading this item, her video on YouTube would have already attracted more than a million viewers. On Sunday, her performance in Asia Song Festival in Busan, South Korea was uploaded on the popular video-sharing site. The clip instantly became the most popular video on YouTube Philippines mainly because of two things: Morrisette made Filipinos proud; and because there’s no other young local diva who can match her vocal knack. As you all know, Pinoy music fans have high regards for singers who seem to have incredible vocal pipes.

Fangirl/Fanboy Lance Busa When one door closes, another door opens. It’s a cliché but no other adage can describe Lance’s victory in the reality search, Bolt of Talent.

In 2015, he failed to be part of the group Top One Project, the five-piece boy band GMA Network formed in that year. Now, Lance is set to go on concert tour together with the legendary singer Michael Bolton after he won the talent search that aimed to discover exceptional young singers in the region. That opportunity is much better than an exposure in all the local talent reality shows combined.

A Love To Last People say, millennial romance is the biggest fad on TV right now, but with the phenomenal success of the heartfelt pairing of the lead cast, they might need to reconsider the fact that not everything “fresh” is palatable to everyone’s taste. The series’ final episode that aired last Friday registered an AGB Nielsen rating of 9.2 percent, which is almost 3 points higher than its direct rival.

Most definitely, the audience saw something beyond the cast’s believable acting that made them fall in love with the show from its premiere telecast to its finale. Don’t you wish same thing could be said of the primetime shows on the other station?

Marian Rivera People are asking: Can we still call the Kapuso star the “Primetime Queen”? Of course GMA Network executives will give you an affirmative answer. But the viewers, who mostly depend on the ratings data to know if the series is doing well, might convince the network to just stop appending the moniker to Marian. She ruled primetime TV during her MariMar and Darna days.

But things have changed; her star can no longer lure viewers. Look at her TV comeback project, Super Ma’am. Do we need enough proof to say she has ceased to be queen, well, more so, at GMA Network?

Birdshot

amid making numerous attempts for several years now.

BREAKING!!!!

Filipino singer wins ‘Bolt Of Talent’ in Malaysia

Touted “Golden Boy of Mindanao,” Butuan native Lance Busa bested 7 other aspiring singers from the Philippines, Malaysia, Taiwan and Thailand, in “Bolt of Talent” hosted by legendary singer MIchael Bolton

We just hope you can still recall this teen flick that enjoyed a massive support from Viva. Even the big bosses of the entertainment company touted the love team starring in the movie the next to follow in the footsteps of JaDine. But a few weeks since the rom-com debuted on the big screen, we haven’t heard of anything about it. Not only it was pulled out in major cinemas too quickly, even movie critics didn’t bother writing a review. We can hardly call it a flop, disaster is the most appropriate word to describe its performance. Perhaps JulianElla should just stick to making viral dance videos. It’s the only thing that makes them relevant anyway.

LANCE Busa of the Philippines won the grand prize in Bolt of Talent in Malaysia besting the singer from Thailand at PJ Live Arts in Kuala Lumpur aired on Star World and Fox Philippines.

Singing his own version of “How Am I Suppose To Live Without You,” Busa got the nod of the judges headed by Michael Bolton.

Busa is now the brand ambassador of Subaru and will join Bolton in his Asian tour. He also won a recording contract.

The Filipino singer said, “I honestly cannot believe that I won. I had that amazing feeling where time slowed down on me, finally giving me a spot in the industry. This is a dream come true for me but I know this is just the beginning. I feel so happy representing the country.”

Bea Alonzo’s two-part online mini film, “Never Let Me Forget” is available on ASUS Philippines Facebook page.

We are fielding another indie film that will attempt to be shortlisted in the prestigious Best Foreign Language Film category in the Oscars. Every year is like déjà vu. We’re just sending a weak entry and yet we hope for a better outcome. More than selecting a film that revolves around a universal theme, they should also consider that artistic merit of the entry.

Apparently, no one in the selection panel knows what kind of foreign language film is really looking for

BEA ALONZO’s

first online mini film guaranteed to never let you forget AFTER being introduced as ASUS Philippines Zenfone 4’s newest ambassador, Bea Alonzo takes on a new role in her very first online mini film, Never Let Me Forget that can be viewed on ASUS Philippines’ Facebook Page.

In the recent launch of the ASUS Zenfone 4 series, Alonzo gave her fans a hint on what they could anticipate from her first venture into online films. Fittingly titled Never Let Me Forget Forget, the two-episode short film plays on the idea of how fleeting yet delicate moments, when caught and treasured properly, allows the renewal of all kinds of relationships. It is also a light and heart-warming story of healing found in well-cherished memories through the happiness that lie beneath the surface.

Never Let Me Forget is an artistic telling of Alette and Matěj’s tale, previous sweethearts who decided to part ways because of their very different worlds, and how the all kinds of moments shared in-between them help the would-have-been couple to endure and eventually rekindle. Alonzo, who is rightly crowned as the Movie Queen of her Generation, plays the role of female lead Alette, alongside Matěj Loub Loub, a Czech sweetheart who is currently based in the Philippines, who plays himself.

When asked about her thoughts on doing her first venture into the world of online films with ASUS Philippines, Alonzo expressed her excitement about getting to combine her love for acting and her passion to endorse a good product all at once. “It’s a good thing because I get to do two things that I love at the same time,” Alonzo affirms.

The first episode of Never Let Me Forget aired on Sept. 1 on the ASUS Philippines’ Facebook page.

Motoring

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2017

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Motorbike-hailing app gets going A NGKAS, a motorbikehailing app, seeks to provide an alternative solution to Metro Manila traffic by helping to make motorbike transport safer for commuters.

With auto sales surging by double-digits in the first half of 2017, the traffic situation in Metro Manila is anticipated to deteriorate further.

In other countries around Southeast Asia, such as Indonesia, Thailand, and Vietnam, “motor taxis” are accepted as a practical mode of transportation which gets millions of people past gridlock. Owing to its slim form, motorbikes allow passengers to weave through traffic jams and navigate side-streets in ways that four-wheeled vehicles cannot.

In the Philippines, motorbike transportation is available in the form of habal-habal, most commonly found in the Makati and Taguig areas. Yet habal-habal have no safety measures or standardized in place, so the issue of safety always remains a question in the minds of commuters.

ANGKAS, a mobile app that allows commuters to hail motorcycle taxis on-demand by connecting passengers to strictlytrained bikers, aims to raise the standards of safety in motorcycle transportation. ANGKAS has

Commuter beats the traffic gridlock on a two-wheel wonder.

meticulously rethought every aspect of the ride, with safety at the center of the experience.

The right gear. ANGKAS bikers provide each passenger with a high-quality, ICC-certified

helmet, and make sure that it is fastened and secure. For sanitary purposes, passengers are issued a shower cap and a face mask, plus a raincoat if it’s raining — all free of charge.

Professional Bikers. ANGKAS only lets professional bikers pick up and drop off passengers. All ANGKAS bikers go through a background check, safety training and road skills assessments before

they are activated on the platform.

Upon booking a ride, passengers get detailed information on their biker: the biker’s name, mobile number, vehicle registration, previous passengers’ ratings and

What is the best dashcam for you? FASTLANE

Shell fleet card

DASH cameras or dash cams are now regarded as vital tools for the everyday driver.

We have all seen Youtube videos of dash cams capturing on video acts of road rage and fender benders whose footage can be used for insurance claims or crucial evidence that can used by law enforcement to prosecute or file charges against an offending party. It is due to this technology that das cams are becoming popular, most of them being manufactured by small or little known manufacturers.

With the sheer number of dash board cameras flooding the market, consumers are at a lost on which model is best for you.

Although I have tested quite a few dash cams, here are two dash cam models that have struck a cord for me; the Blaupunkt BP 2.0 FHD and BP 3.0 FHD and the Poloroid C200 up to the C270T. We narrowed down the battle between the Germans and Americans, the two most reliable dash cams and is tropicalized to withstand the humidity.

Blaupunkt DVR Dash Camera A relatively new brand for the ‘plug and play’ dash cam market, this dash camera is from the well-respected German manufacturer Blaupunkt, the DVR BP 2.0 and 3.0 FHD Is worth considering due to its unbelievable price of just P3,450 for the entry level BP 2.0, sleek and compact design; and it weighs only only 50 grams. Measuring at just 63 x 58 x 30 mm, both the the DVR BP 2.0 and 3.0 are discreet but still manages to record in full crystal clear 1080p HD. It also has a built-in microphone and speaker.

The Blaupunkt DVR BP 2.0FHD also has a superb 120 degree ultra wide viewing angle; making it ideal for capturing large amounts of action from the road ahead.

Storing the footage is easy as the camera accepts micro SD cards up to 32GB and with this units excellent loop recording facility it will allow for continuous recording so you’ll never have to worry about missing that all important video evidence.

Another important feature of the Blau-

punkt DVR BP 2.0FHD is its internal Gsensor, this sensor is fully adjustable and can be set at a high, medium or low level. This will ensure that in the event of a collision or harsh braking the motion G-shock sensor will automatically activate the cameras emergency recording mode. These video files are then fully protected and saved and can’t be overwritten by the loop recording function and can therefore be watched back at a later date and possibly used as evidence against another driver.

Poloroid C200 and 270T Exclusively distributed locally by Blade Autocenter, Poloroid dash cams are in-car camera compact units that comes with everything you need to record your road trips or your daily commute to work. Poloroids C200 to 270T line comes with a USB cable which can be used for charging, and is long enough to allow the user to mount the dash camera somewhere else other than the front windshield. The mount feels very secure and the cradle has been designed for quick removal which makes it perfect if you wish to hide it from “basag kotse” elements when taking a break or parking the car overnight.

Like the rest of the Poloroid family of dash cams, the two-inch LCD display in every unit is very useful in setting up the dash camera, ensuring you’ve gotten the best view possible. There are only a few buttons on these units so it should be easy to use, but actually the multi-functionality of the buttons can prove to be a bit fiddly, it’s not always obvious what you’re meant to press to do what you want. There are a good range of options, and the Poloroid C200 to C270T are easy to use out of the box. Prices start at P4,000 and up to P15,000 for the high end front with rear camera. Both the Blaupunkt and Poloroid dashcams are available in Blade Autocenter stores in SM, Robinson and Ayala malls and in dealers nationwide.

Dino Ray V. Directo III

TRANSPORT businesses require crucial planning to be able to utilize all resources efficiently. With fuel and maintenance being the largest single operating expense, companies need to control and plot out costs to make the most out of their business investments.

With more than 100 years of experience on the road, Pilipinas Shell offers an effective solution that helps boost the operations of any transport business: the Shell Fleet Card. Enrolling a fleet into this business solution provides end-to-end efficiency for customers; assuring fleet owners that vehicles resourcefully reach their destinations, fuel and lubricants expenses both on the road are monitored and covered, and administrative tasks are easily completed with just a few clicks.

The Shell Fleet Card is simply a stress-free solution to managing fleets. With 1,000 retail stations across the country, Pilipinas Shell provides strategic support and assistance to their customers through their quality products and services. Shell Cardholders can avail of the all-new premium fuel, Shell V-Power with boosted DYNAFLEX Technology while the Shell FuelSave Diesel fuel can now be delivered to select fleet transport customers. Roadside, towing assistance and defensive driving programs are also available to customers as part of this fleet management solution’s benefits.

Through the Shell Card’s Online Mobile App, realtime fraud reduction and control detection allows business owners to have complete visibility on transactions, allowing them to have more control over expenses to keep their business secure. Vehicle fuel consumptions can also be tracked and reviewed for further cost management and route planning. Multiple cards can be managed in a customer’s online account, giving them ease in managing purchases.

The Fraud Protection system also allows fleet operators to customize the transaction accesses per account.

Customers will also be notified for any identified irregular activities with the card, which can be blocked anytime.

Backing up the whole system is a team composed of account managers, fuel technical experts, and customer service specialists’ that can help identify and provide cost saving opportunities for transport businesses.

“We at Shell want to provide our business and fleet customers the security they need by ensuring all transactions are protected, costs are under control, and their vehicles are moving in the right direction.” said Stephanie Cua, Regional Marketing Manager for Shell Fleet Card for East Region. “We value our relationship with them and we look forward to working together to help keep all Filipinos moving on the road, efficiently.”

Shell Fleet Card is backed up by account managers, fuel technical experts, and customer service specialists’ that can help identify and provide cost saving opportunities for transport businesses. (L-R) Shell Sales Team Leader Manuel Castaneda, Shell Contracts & Procurement Manager Mario Bunag, Shell District Manager Ricky Altonaga, Shell Territory Manager Camille Manapul, Shell Regional Marketing Manager, Commercial Fleet East Steff Cua, Commercial Fleet Marketing Manager Rachel Manabat

estimated time of arrival at the pick-up point. After each ride, passengers are asked to rate their bikers; bikers with consistently poor ratings or who violate the app’s Terms of Service are removed from the platform.

All rides can be tracked realtime; each ride is logged into the ANGKAS system, so the whereabouts of all bikers are known.

The right way to mount and ride. ANGKAS bikers instruct passengers the right way to mount and ride a motorbike. Passengers are reminded to put the foot pegs down before mounting from the left side to avoid the muffler. They are also advised to mount or dismount only after the biker tells them to do so to keep the motorbike steady.

When riding, passengers are asked to sit still when the motorbike is still to maintain the bike’s balance. When in motion, they are taught to keep their balance by holding on to their biker’s waist and to lean with the rider’s movements. They are also advised not to hold onto the biker’s shoulders as they may accidentally twist them and cause the bike to swerve.

Proper Communication. ANGKAS emphasizes proper communication between bikers and their passengers. Bikers are trained to ask about and accommodate the preferred routes, speeds (up to a maximum of 60 kph) and other preferences of their passengers prior to starting the ride.

Insurance. In cases of untoward traffic incidents, both bikers and passengers are covered by personal accident insurance.

Wait is over: Diesel CR-V here HONDA Cars Philippines, Inc. Honda’s automobile business unit in the Philippines, has unloaded the first batch of diesel variants of the All-New CR-V on Philippine shores.

The new CR-V marks the first time that Honda will offer a diesel vehicle in the country.

With the CR-V’s new diesel engine and the revival of its 7-seater capability, Honda has acquired a remarkable market demand since it was officially introduced in the Philippines. The impressive market acceptance for the All-New CR-V only shows how it captured the Filipinos as a 7-seater diesel SUV that packs an aggressive & dynamic styling, premium & comfortable interior, and uncompromising safety features.

Aston -Red Bull teamup GAYDON: Aston Martin and Red Bull Racing have strengthened their Innovation Partnership with the announcement that the Formula One team will compete as ‘Aston Martin Red Bull Racing’ from 2018.

The successful partnership, that has already produced the sold-out Aston Martin Valkyrie hypercar, will yield future products and an exciting new Advanced Performance Centre that will open on the Red Bull Racing campus in Milton Keynes later this year. The British luxury carmaker will also evaluate the opportunity to be involved in the team’s power unit from 2021 after being asked by the FIA to join discussions on future engines for F1TM. Aston Martin President and CEO, Andy Palmer, said: “Title partnership is the next logical step for our Innovation Partnership with Red Bull Racing. We are enjoying the global brand awareness that a revitalized Formula One provides. The power unit discussions are of interest to us but only if the circumstances are right. We are not about to enter an engine war with no restrictions in cost or dynamometer hours but we believe that if the FIA can create the right environment we would be interested in getting involved.”

The relationship between Aston Martin, Red Bull Racing and AF Racing began in 2016 after the companies combined cutting edge F1TM technology and Aston Martin’s signature sports car design to produce a ground breaking hypercar. The Aston Martin Valkyrie, which sold out on launch, is set to be the first in a line of incredible products to be borne of this Innovation Partnership will make its first run in 2018 before being delivered to customers in 2019.

The new Advanced Performance Centre, which will create 110 new jobs, will also house Aston Martin’s second dedicated design centre and engineering personnel who will be working on future sports cars. The new centre will allow a closer working relationship between the two leading brands in their respective fields which will see the adoption of both F1TM and road car technology.

Christian Horner, Team Principal of Red Bull Racing said: “Our Innovation Partnership with Aston Martin has been a pioneering project from day one. Having conceived and created the remarkably successful Valkyrie together in 2016, we extended our relationship this year and are now delighted to further strengthen the Partnership and see the team competing as Aston Martin Red Bull Racing in 2018. In addition, more than 100 Aston Martin staff will service the new Advanced Performance Centre on our campus here in Milton Keynes and it will allow us to collaborate further with Aston Martin on special, equally innovative, new projects.”

Aston Martin will feature prominently across the Aston Martin Red Bull Racing team from the start of the 2018 season

RAMON L. TOMELDAN Edi tor DIN O DIREC TO III A ss t . Edi tor

C4

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2017

Motoring

Text and photo by Dino Ray V. Directo III

A

uto makers are being given six months to comply once a measure pending at the House of Representatives is enacted which requires all vehicles to be fitted with a dashboard camera. House Bill No. 6265 otherwise known as the “Dashboard Camera Act of 2017”, will require all vehicles sold in the domestic market to be fitted with such a device.

The Land Transportation Office (LTO) will not register vehicles without dash cameras and Public Utility Vehicles (PUV) operators will not be granted a franchise if they do not comply.

PUVs already in operation prior to the effectivity of the measure should comply with requirements upon renewal of registration, or not later than six months from the issuance of implementing rules and regulations.

Representative Eric L. Olivarez of Paranaque City,the bill’s author, argues that having a dash cam is a safety issue.” A ‘dash cam’ is a device attached to the vehicle that can monitor and record all activitie inside and outside the vehicle. It can provide a record of police behavior during traffic stops, documenting incidents of road rage and recording events leading up to accidents caused by drunk drivers, sleepy or wayward drivers for reporting to insurance companies,” states Olivarez.

Olivarez also said in California and nominally in Australia, the legalization of dash cams has led to an 80 percent reduction in accidents in cars. Drivers in Russia have also been early adopters of dashboard camera technologies for self-protection and have used and uploaded footages online as visual proof and admissible evidence to fend off charges from possibly corrupt police officers and against insurance scammers who often stage accidents, Olivarez said in a statement.

Also, the bill provides that the

Smile, your’e on dash camera

usage of the dash cam as a recording device shall be in compliance with the provisions of Republic Act 10173 or the Data Privacy Act of 2012. Under the bill, no bus, taxi, or any other public utility vehicle for that matter, shall be allowed registration and renewal of registration by the LTO without the dash camera, after the one-year grace period expiration.

Vehicle manufacturers and private owners will be fined P100,000 if they fail to install dashcams in all variants to be sold in the local market. PUV operators who do not comply will be fined at least P5,000, with penalties going up to P10,000 and P15,000 for succeeding offenses.

Those who tamper with dash cams or fail to provide videos upon order of the LTFRB will likewise be meted fines. Licenses or franchises can be revoked for subsequent offenses.

Those who violate the secrecy of the videos, meanwhile, can face imprisonment of one to three years, and a fine of P100,000 to P2 million.

As a complimentary measure to House Bill 6265, a similar measure is also pending at the Senate. Known as the “Dash Cam Law”, Senate Bill No. 1457 mandates the installation of dash cams in all PUVs, government-owned patrol vehicles and similar vehicles used by law enforcement agencies, service vehicles, and others.

Motorsports technology for the road

Dash cameras provide additional security and safety for your daily commute.

MASSIVEPARTS Incorporated, the local distributor of KYB shock absorbers in the Philippines introduces the New SR Special shock absorber that combines OE comfort with improved damping characteristics.

The New SR Special is a premium direct replacement shock absorber that’s designed with greater durability ensuring the quality, structural reliability and safety of a genuine KYB shock absorber. With years of experience in manufacturing shock absorbers, KYB engineers obtained the most optimal damping characteristics through constant research and development, plus actual suspension tuning. This allows the New SR Special to enhance the basic performance of any car. Most especially in everyday driving situations we normally encounter such as, accelerating, turning and stopping. More importantly, using the New SR Special will not only make your

car perform better, but safer as well. Gen Leong, the Marketing Manager, of Massiveparts Inc. “The KYB NEW SR is for those who would like to upgrade their daily drive. This works well with those who like to do long distance driving (like a sports car) on weekends and yet able to drive around in traffic and uneven roads comfortably on a daily basis. The New SR Special offers a comfortable ride, stability, better handling and cornering plus reduced braking distance.”

The New SR Special features different viscosity, whereby 50% was added on the compression/bumping stroke and 80% on the rebound/extension stroke as compared to standard shock absorbers. This allows the New SR Special to provide improved handling without compromising ride quality.

The New SR Special was developed based on motorsports technologies based

on inputs from popular Japanese D1 drift and Super GT racecar driver Nobutero Taniguchi aka “NOB” or ‘No One Better’ to test the New SR Sports. “Car manufacturers usually develop softer suspension based on ordinary drivers preferences. That is the reason why normal cars tend to nose dive when braking hard or roll when cornering. This is why the New SR Special has been designed with improved damping characteristics to reduce rolling and pitching and get better handling and adds, I recommend the New SR for drivers who like a comfortable ride in town who ride with family or want to improve performance without sacrificing comfort,” says Taniguchi. “ We have fitments for most sedans, compact cars , SUV’s and tuned cars from brands such as Subaru, Toyota, Mitsubishi, Honda, Ford and Suzuki,” adds Leong.

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